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The chrysanthemum, more commonly known as the mum, is a perfect flowering plant to add some color and pizazz to your fall landscape. Originally from China, the chrysanthemum flower was boiled to make “chrysanthemum tea”. According to Chinese folk medicine, the tea was quite the remedy for the flu. In the United States, the chrysanthemum serves a much different purpose, adding depth and beauty as a popular landscaping choice in the fall. Mums are well suited, given that they bloom late and have tremendous eye appeal.

Decorating with Mums

Mums are terrific for complementing a fall landscapes as they come in a variety of colors. From white, off-white, yellow, gold and bronze to red, lavender, burgundy, pink and purple, the mum is extremely decorative. They’re also quite versatile, meaning that they work great for both mass planting and in small decorative pots next to the front door.

When looking to add mums to your fall decor, choose colors that complement your landscape design. In other words, to add depth to an outdoor display, try mums in gold, yellow or off-white to highlight the orange and browns of pumpkins and hay. Another trick- try mass planting with a gradual color shade change or to get the most dramatic effect, use only two colors. Remember, mums also look great in small containers by the front door. They’re super simple choices for lining a window box or for the center of a pot with trailing foliage. Make certain to visit Uncle Luke’s Feed Store for all your gardening needs from small clay pots for your doorstep to fertilizer and soil for your garden.

Florist Mums Versus Hardy (Garden) Mums

Florist mums are large-flower plants with a variety of different bloom forms. They’re almost always grown in greenhouses and used as indoor plants. Try to plant a florist mum outside and you will quickly see that it will not survive the winter, regardless of much protection you offer it. On the other hand, garden mums produce an underground stolen and as a result, can survive the cold weather much better. In general, garden mums are much tougher than florist mums and in certain zones, are perennials.

In Michigan, if you’re considering planting mums, coordinate your plants with the weather. Remember, while most garden mums can withstand a light fall frost and will do fine this year, if you’re trying for perennials, it’s best to choose hardy cultivars to plant in the spring so they have a chance to establish roots before the really cold weather hits.

Planting

Mums are perfect fall plants because they add so much color to an otherwise drab looking landscape. However, before planting your mums, choose an area that receives at least 6 hours of sunlight per day. This is critical because if your plant doesn’t get enough sunlight, it will grow fewer, smaller flowers.

As for the soil, well drained is best. In fact, you may want to consider raising your plants if your growing area is too wet. Plant about 1 inch deeper than the original nursery pot and be sure to spread the roots out carefully. Adequate water is important when you first plant your mums. Make certain to give them enough until they are fully established. After they take hold, reduce water to about an inch per week. Fertilizer is not necessary if you plan on planting your mums in the fall for annuals, however, if you plan on overwintering, fertilize once or twice a month until colder weather sets in.

Decorating with mums in the fall is an easy and inexpensive way to add color and pizazz to your home or business. Remember to choose complementary colors and don’t forget to visit Uncle Luke’s Feed Store where you can find everything you need to create the perfect fall landscape.

Are you looking for an effective way to reduce your fertilizer costs? Have you considered using cover crops to protect your soil through the cold, idle winter months? Garden cover crops like grain, hairy vetch, clovers and winter peas are an effective way to protect your soil by managing nitrogen content, controlling for wind and water erosion and reducing weeds. Michigan cover crops offer superior protection and are super simple to use.

Choosing a Cover Crop

Most people in Michigan use cover crops to protect their soil through the winter months, which is why they plant in the fall. There are a variety of cover crop seeds to choose from, each offering slightly different benefits. Some inhibit weeds or recycle nutrients, some protect water quality and still others reduce disease. Nevertheless, there are three basic groups that most cover crops fall into- grains and grass, legumes and other broad leaved plants.

Clover, Grain Rye, Hairy Vetch and Winter Peas

In Michigan, the most popular cover crop is the red clover, a legume used quite frequently to increase soil organic matter and reduce soil erosion and surface water pollution. However, don’t forget that once red clover has served its need, it must be killed or it will become a weed. Another clover which is pretty new to the Michigan area is crimson clover. Crimson clover grows more quickly than red clover and has taller flower stems and larger seeds. It’s great because it offers faster growth during cool weather than more traditional red clover.

Cereal grains are another popular cover crop choice because they grow extremely fast, giving quick cover even when the weather is already cold. Rye, wheat, oats, barley, and triticale are all cereal grains. Grain rye is popular because it’s pretty vigorous, germinating and becoming established in cool weather. Winter wheat is also useful for late season plantings. In fact, if you plant before late September, you’re likely to get disease or premature death. Check out the selection of cereal grains cover crop seeds at Uncle Luke’s feed Store. Now is the perfect time to get them planted for the most effect.

Hairy vetch is another legume, pretty aggressive actually, considering that legumes generally are slow to grow in cool weather and do much better when paired with something else. Nevertheless, legumes are especially helpful for increasing the amount of soil nitrogen for the next crop. In addition, Austrian winter peas, sometimes called “black pea” and “field pea” are known for their good winter hardiness and can be grown alone or mixed with cereal grains to provide great cover.

Mixing Cover Crops

In many cases, mixing cover crops gives you the added advantage of getting the benefits from different types of cover crops easily. Typically, mixtures combine two species, but it’s possible to mix up to five. A common mixture is cereal rye and hairy vetch. Vetch germinates in the fall but grows slowly until spring. The rye makes the perfect structure for the vetch to grow. Basically, when you mix a cereal with a legume, you get the soil covering ability of the cereal and the nitrogen fixing ability of the legume.

Using cover crops is not a new idea. In fact, before fertilizer was invented, this was the only way to improve soil structure and productivity. Now, because of the environmentally safe angle, cover crops are the preferred method of many Michigan farmers. From grain rye to winter peas, remember to mix crop cover seeds for added benefits and shop Uncle Luke’s Feed Store for the best selection and prices.

Garlic is an excellent addition to a wide variety of foods, adding a unique flavor and punching up the taste to many bland dishes. With over 600 subvarities, growing garlic from home can be fun, supplying you with enough for the whole year ahead and then some. Although there are some challenges, taking the time to learn a few facts about planting garlic will help you create a successful harvest.

Choosing Your Garlic

There are two main categories of garlic- softneck and hardneck. While there are some similarities between the two types, there are distinct differences making it relatively easy to tell the two apart. Softneck garlic is commonly grown in warm climates and has large, distinctive cloves. Generally, this is the type of garlic you see in the supermarket.

Hardneck garlic is traditionally grown in colder climates and although it tends to produce fewer cloves, farmers claim that it has a more robust taste than softneck garlic. As a result, it is a favorite among Michigan garlic farmers.

Why Plant in the Fall?

In Michigan, if you intend to grow garlic, the best time to plant is in the fall for the following year. Why so far ahead? Simple. It takes a long time for garlic to grow good roots. Once the soil temperature reaches 60 degrees F, the roots of the garlic cloves will start to germinate, begin to take hold and anchor the plant. In Michigan, if the ground freezes before the roots have developed, the garlic plant will heave itself out of the ground. Applying mulch after the first freeze will help control heaving. So go ahead, plant in the fall, because generally, your garlic won’t be ready to harvest until mid to late summer.

Ideal Growing Conditions

Before planting, separate your garlic into cloves, making certain to keep the papery layer around the clove intact. Try to choose the larger cloves for planting and reserve the smaller ones for eating. When choosing a location, remember that garlic does best in full sun but will tolerate partial shade fairly well.

Soil

Your Soil should be loose and loamy with moderate to heavy organic matter with a pH somewhere between 6.0 and 7.0.  You want your soil moist, but not waterlogged. Loamy soil that combines equal parts of sand, silt and clay works best. Loamy soil keeps moisture in, but drains well to allow air to reach the roots. Remember, mulch may also be helpful for keeping soil moist and moderating temperatures. This is particularly important in Michigan where colder weather can result in winterkill. Straw, hay, chopped leaves, even plastic make suitable mulch. While there are a variety of things to make proper mulch, most Michigan farmers prefer straw because it’s inexpensive, easy to find and easy to remove. Visit Uncle Luke’s Feed Store to find the mulching material that will work best for you.

Spacing

Proper spacing is also important for growing garlic successfully. However, there are a couple of different thoughts as far as planting is concerned. Everyone agrees that you plant your garlic clove with the pointed end facing down into the soil. However, some farmers believe that placing bulbs close together will produce more garlic. Others argue that close positioning results in smaller cloves. Nevertheless, normal spacing is cloves around 5 inches apart with 20 inches or so between rows for larger bulbs. Additionally, try to plant 2 inches deep if you plan to mulch, and a little deeper (3 to 4 inches) if you don’t plan to mulch.

Growing fantastic garlic is easy with a few tips.  Planting in the fall for the following year gives your garlic time to grow sturdy, solid roots which keep it firmly anchored in the ground. The soil is cold in the winter, particularly in Michigan, making it even more important to choose the right mulch and planting materials. Find everything you need to grow the most amazing garlic at Uncle Luke’s Feed Store. Have fun and get planning that menu, you’ve got some garlic to try!

What are Cool Season Vegetables?

If you are an avid gardener, you will be happy to know that you don’t have to wait for tomato season to get busy gardening. In an attempt to create seed heads or seed pods, certain vegetables move from leaf or vegetable production to reproduction when the weather gets warm, causing greens to get bitter, broccoli to flower and radishes to get that “woody” taste. These vegetables love the cooler weather of spring and fall. Depending on where you live these seasons can be from March through the end of May, and the last week of August through the end of November, respectively. If you are especially eager to get your spring crop planted following a long, cold winter, then using a cold frame can let you get started earlier and prolong your vegetable production in the fall.

Top Ten Cool Season Vegetables

1. Radishes are always a good start to a spring garden. They can be planted as soon as your soil can be worked; loosen the soil to a depth of roughly 10”, and plant rows of radish seeds about ½” deep. Try several different varieties to see which ones do best in your area as well as suit your personal taste buds! Radishes mature in as little as 25-30 days, so you will see a return on your labor quickly. If you want a continuous supply of radishes through the end of May, plant a new row or two every two weeks, starting in March—don’t worry, a bit of frost won’t slow your radish plants down a bit.
2. Lettuce can be planted either from seed or from transplants, and you can start planting in mid-March. As with radishes, loosen your soil to approximately 10”, and plant the lettuce seeds ½” deep. Once the seedlings are 2” tall, they can be spaced out so there is a minimum of 6” between each one, giving them plenty of room to produce a lettuce head. Most lettuce types can withstand frost, and can even freeze, as long as they don’t stay frozen for days at a time. If you cut the mature lettuce head off at ground level, the roots will usually grow new leaves.
3. You will rarely see spinach transplants, so plant your spinach from seed, at a depth of ½” into fully-loosened soil. As with lettuce, frost and freezing are rarely a problem, and if you are a true spinach lover, plant a new crop every couple of weeks through April, and you will have lots of tasty, nutritious spinach.
4. Beets, Parsnips and turnips are all root crops which must all be planted directly from seed. Although these vegetables are similar, beets and turnips are round, and can be anywhere from the size of a golf ball to baseball-size, while parsnips are more carrot-shaped. Plant ½” deep and ½” apart and cover with fine soil, then when they are about an inch tall, thin to a couple of inches apart. These root crops grow much slower than radishes, taking between 65-85 days to reach full maturity. Frost won’t bother these veggies, but they are slow to sprout, so don’t be alarmed if you haven’t seen your new plants peeking through the ground after a week—it can take two weeks, or even a bit longer.
5. Peas come in two basic types—the edible-podded type such as sugar snap and the non-edible pods which you remove the peas from the pods, and just eat the peas. Peas like well-loosened soil, and should be planted about 1” deep and 2” apart; they will climb, so you will need some sort of support for them. Peas can handle a light frost, but not serious freezing. If you want to have plenty of fresh peas to eat, freeze and can, plant at least two times, two weeks apart.
6. Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage should be planted from transplants, especially if you live in the north, otherwise they will fail to mature quickly enough before summer’s warm weather arrives, and will bolt and flower, making them inedible. Raised beds are great for these cool-season veggies, and all three can handle frost and a certain amount of freezing. Make sure they are spaced at least 10-12 inches apart, giving them plenty of room.

Carrots are also a good cool-season crop, as are kale, kohlrabi, chard, onions sets and green onions. Onion sets can be planted early, then again with your warm-weather crops, so you will have a continuous supply.  Garlic also grows well when planted in early spring, or in the fall. Ideally, garlic will be planted in September and harvested in July with little care needed in between, but garlic can also be a spring cool-season crop. If you are itching to get out into your garden and begin your vegetable-growing, Uncle Luke’s is your one-stop local shop to find an incredibly wide variety of cool-season vegetables. We cater to our local customers, meaning our high-quality vegetable varieties have been time-proven for our local growing conditions.

If you are a bird-lover who wants to ensure your feathered friends get the best nutrition for their individual needs, Uncle Luke’s Feed is the place to go for a wide array of the highest-quality wild bird seed. Uncle Luke’s is also dedicated to keeping our local economy strong by offering seed grown right here in Troy, Michigan, bringing quality and competitive prices to our valued customers while supporting local sources.

Feeding wild birds provides opportunity for a direct, intimate view of the natural world for the more than 50 million Americans who routinely feed wild birds in their yards. Backyard feeding is most popular in winter when the birds seem to need the most help. Feeding can support birds who are stressed by very cold weather or disease, and many wild birds with access to feeders are more likely to survive harsh winters. Each type of feed provides a specific nutritional benefit to different types of wild birds, and Uncle Luke’s carries the very best varieties around.

Cardinal Chickadee Mix

For attracting brightly-plumed cardinals as well as cheery chickadees, consider our Cardinal-Chickadee Mix, which contains a premium mix of black sunflower seeds, striped sunflower seeds and safflower seeds.  About 90% of the cardinal’s food consists of weed seeds, grains, insects, fruits and sunflower seeds, and they prefer seeds which are easily shelled, although they are less selective during winter in colder climates. Chickadees love this mix as it contains one of their best-loved seeds – the black sunflower. Uncle Luke’s Cardinal-Chickadee Mix will soon have your yard filled with these two favorites of winter bird-watchers.

Nyger

Nyjer, niger and thistle are all names used to identify a tiny black birdseed which is high in calories and oil content and loved by finches, mourning doves, sparrows, pine siskins, redpolls and other wild birds. Nyger can be purchased separately at Uncle Luke’s, or can be found in many of our premium wild bird seed mixes. Nyger is often referred to as “black gold,” and should be offered in feeders with small ports to prevent spillage—although whatever is spilled will be readily eaten by other wild bird species. Uncle Luke’s Nyger bird seed will draw large numbers of songbirds, however squirrels and larger birds are indifferent to it.

Sunflower Mix

Uncle Luke’s Sunflower Mix is a high-quality mixture of locally-grown Michigan sunflower seed hearts. Red-headed woodpeckers, red-winged blackbirds, bobwhites, cardinals, finches, mourning doves, blue jays redpolls and sparrows, to mention just a few, love a diet which contains sunflower mix.

Critter Mix

Whole corn, black and striped sunflower seeds and whole, in-shell peanuts (one of the greatest treats you can offer birds) make up our Premium Critter Mix. Bird lovers who feed this mix report that the jays begin calling to one another as soon as the mix is in the feeder! Once the “alert” has gone out, the jays literally dive-bomb their favorite treat, often taking as many as they can carry, then devour them as soon as possible so they can come back for more. Squirrels, chipmunk and deer will also find critter mix irresistible!

Peanuts

Uncle Luke’s white-blanch peanut kernels will attract some of the most entertaining birds of all the wild bird species. You will be amazed and entertained by the acrobatic antics and maneuvers of woodpeckers, chickadees, nuthatches, wrens, cardinals, finches, sparrows, doves and especially jays—who will sometimes bury the peanuts, returning later to consume their treat.

Corn Feed

Our cracked corn is highly popular for ground-feeding wild birds such as starlings, quails and grackles, offering them a good source of oil and starch. Cracked corn is less expensive and can be used to tempt the larger wild birds away from the more expensive smaller-bird seed.

Uncle Luke’s also offers mixes for general wild bird feeding, which comes in three grades: economy, mid-grade and high-grade. Depending on your specific needs and the birds you want to attract to your yard, you can choose from one of these high-quality mixes.  Come visit our store and you will see we have successfully retained the friendly, honest, helpful atmosphere from a by-gone era. While time has changed our local community, our commitment to supporting our local growers remains intact.