Hello, and thanks for joining us for another edition of mid American gardener.

I'm your host, TInisha Spain and joining me today, as always are two of our veteran panelists who have plenty of Sean tells to show you and they're ready to answer some questions and talk about some of this fall gardening fall temperatures that we're seeing right now.

So let's have them introduce themselves and tell you a little bit more about their specialty and where you can find them outside.

So Kelly, we'll start with you.

Hi, everyone.

My name is Kelly Allsup.

And I'm a horticulture educator based out of Bloomington.

My specialty within the team.

Our state horticulture team is integrated pest management.

However, I spend the majority of my time promoting beneficial insects and pollinators and all those good bugs out there and providing habitat for them.

And, but overall, good generalist horticulture.

pat myself on the back, where I know a little bit about trees and perennials and annuals and fruits and vegetables.

So jack of all trades.

It's hard to be in this job for 10 years and not know a little bit about almost everything.

Yes, and that's why we don't ever see you because you're always so busy.

So welcome.

Thanks for making a pit stop.

Do your own 1000 American gardener.

All right, Miss Marty, tell us about you.

Hello, my name is Martie Alanga.

I'm a retired landscaper and I'm primarily focused on the home garden.

People who wanted a better view out the window on a better view as they pulled in the driveway, but they just weren't sure how to get it.

So my my main interest is perennials, shrubs, trees ornamentals.

But like Kelly, you can't do this for too long without you.

You just have to learn about other stuff too.

And yeah, Kelly busy Well, she's, she's typing away just before the show started to catch up and then she's got three hats on here.

She's a busy one.

So I'm glad we were able to capture her for this for this show.

So Alright ladies, we've got lots to talk about.

Kelly, we'll go back to you.

You brought in some cool season crops and wanted to talk a little bit about that as we move into these cooler temperatures and cooler season.

Yes, you guys.

Even though it is September 27.

I have not stopped growing yet.

I am still seeding and growing right now.

And three of the main crops that I'm working on it so launch roll, beet greens and spinach.

And these germinate really fast right now because it is warmer temperatures but they're going to mature in the cool weather and be sweeter and tastier.

So I wanted to show you this spinach bag when I try to do my camera.

So I have this bag you see this the bag looks delicious and this is I'm growing spinach right and I just broadcasted the spinach seed, sorry I need to work on my camera skills.

I just broadcasted the spinach seed.

And now it's time this is like the perfect time to harvest then this is where it's going to be delicious.

So what I would normally do is go through and just start thinning these little seedlings and give those a little bit more the ones that I leave behind a little bit more room to grow.

And so I'm just pulling the plant out by the route I'll go ahead and remove that route and eat that leafy green.

So at this point, I'm harvesting kind of like seedlings.

Well as the spinach starts to mature, I am going to actually harvest it in a different way.

I'm going to just harvest the outer leaves and allow the plant to grow and mature and the only thing that I think is the secret to spinach and these leafy greens that we grow in this cool season is harvest them when they're three inches or less.

Otherwise they don't taste as good.

And so if I harvest this right now I can have this amazing spinach and I've not even compromised my future harvest so interesting now is spinach, a cut and come again does it do can you do that treat that sort of like you would let us out in the garden.

Yes, that's what I'm that's what I'm referring to in the beginning because I've overseeded it I've seen it heavily right because usually you would need a little bit more space in between your spinach plants.

Then I can go through and have get my seedlings and I always do this with leafy greens I overseed so I can have that first crop of seedlings, but then once I've you know spaced the plants out Then I can do the cut and come where I grabbed those outer leaves and let it continue to grow.

Now you're growing that in your office or did you just bring that in to show us but is it growing?

Are you are you growing it outside, I'm not going into my office.

You know, sometimes you can grow, you know, some some seedlings like this and some herbs if you have a sunny window during the winter, but I'm not going to be growing man, I'm not going to get this large crop growing this type of thing inside, but outside it's going to do really well.

Excellent.

And once it gets that cold temperature, it kind of turns that plant the sugars, change it away to where it makes the spinner sweeter, once it gets touched by the cold weather.

did not know that.

Yeah, cold crops do that to cabbage and brussel sprouts and broccoli.

So much better when it's a little bit crispy outside.

And the brilliance of doing that in a bag Kelly is that and all you viewers in TV Land, you got a small portable thing there.

So you can put it outside wherever you need it.

But as it gets colder at night, you can just pick it up, put it on the porch, put on a covered porch, set it back outside, I mean she can cut spinach, she harvest vegetables, what January, easily December, late December.

You can have spinach, fresh finish for Christmas really are Thanksgiving.

And you think about kale to like you know, can't last a really long time in the landscape.

And I think a lot of people when it comes to cool season they they try to they try it in the spring.

And they're germinating seed when it's cold and they're maturing plants when it's hot.

Well here you're doing it the other way around by germinating seeds when it's hot, and you're maturing your plants when it's cold.

So personally fall vegetable gardening.

I think it's better than spring vegetable gardening.

Interesting.

So if folks are at home watching this and you've piqued their interest, it's not too late to run out and grab some some seeds for spinach and some of the other cool season crops Well, just for the leafy greens, it might it's a little bit too late for some of the more mature crops like broccoli or cauliflower, but for the leafy greens and the radish radish, you cannot go wrong with radish, rye really, I mean how four weeks in you can have a rash drop easily, easily.

And if you grow them again, if you grow them in a in a box or something you know even like a I don't know a milk crate line with burlap with soil and it's something you know something portable, you can move it you don't have to cover it where it is you can just pick it up and move it onto a covered porch or in a garage.

Set it back out in the morning after the frost is gone.

And they'll last a long time.

I wanted to get some pings.

And I think it's a little late for puppies right now to get them planted.

But oh gosh, yeah.

Full notice for next year.

Okay.

But you know, tonisha it's like, this is the hardest part for horticulturist.

And I know you're you're really starting to get the horticulture bug.

And it's like, okay, Kelly, stop growing.

I can't stop growing.

I don't want to very hard for me to stop.

I agree when my flowers start to look tired and we start to pull the last zuke off.

And I'm just like, oh boy, it's coming.

The Big Rip is coming where everything's got to come out.

So I'm with you as long as we can grow, I'm in for it.

Okay, Marty, you brought us some beautiful autumn cuttings.

Let's talk about those.

I did.

I just went out before the show.

And maybe a little closer this I cut bees.

I like that.

And I will take them apart one by one and tell you what they are.

I have a couple of annual planners that flank my worksteps and they're pretty big.

They're probably, I don't know, a 10 inch pot or something like that.

And I grow annuals in them I didn't get it done this year.

This year was kind of a tough year for us.

But in the fall, I'll cut things like this.

And I'll just stick them in the in the potting soil, and they're just really really pretty.

There are other things I use as well.

Some evergreens.

I've got some blufor in my yard I've got some golden mops Canada's Tsipras the Evergreen colors just wonderful.

I've got some green spruce that I can use I've got are providing.

So But anyway, the coffee's just now just so you could see they're just so and remember.

These are not leaf colors, the leaf colors on things that change color or their foliage is not is not even included then it's too early for that.

Yeah, so I love so you get more of a show is what you're saying, Oh heck yeah, the dog would the viburnum even my lilac changes color to say nothing of the trees, and of course the burning bushes and it just you just watch in your yard, things that don't even get advertised as having grateful color of grateful color at all.

They're just people that they're not marketed for that they're marketing through their bloom or their shave, whatever.

But yeah, it's everything.

Everything takes on a little happy coat.

So these are these are hydrangea, and I've just collected them that's their that's a panicle hydrangea.

It's a pinky Winky, I believe.

And then this is millet.

I think I mentioned this in an earlier show.

The birds planted this for me around birdfeeders but it's so pretty look at that color.

It's gorgeous.

What was just lovely it's like bittersweet.

Only teenager and if I don't cut it, it's gonna see by the Hegelian you know, so that's an industry term by the way so I want to I want to not let the stand but they are so pretty they really and they're quite heavy to this of course is autumn joy see them this is the old fashioned enjoy see them and I have it in a little bit of shade.

And it doesn't like that and I never water it because that's not my job God waters items.

Even with that little bit of shade this flopped, some autumn Joy has been replaced by cultivars that have a little stronger stem or have a little shorter stature.

So when the blooms Come on, and then they're top heavy, they don't make the plant flop.

To be fair, my family slept on the shady side.

But anyway, so there's a fantastic color and then here's a few dry things I really liked.

I don't know if you can even see this right?

Well it's it's a it's a grass toy favorite grasses.

It's called panicum it comes large and small.

Some of the cultivars turn red in the fall some of them turn on build and straw yellow.

In the summer they're either blue or green foliage and I just love the seed it's just really pretty I wish I had a darker background to show it to you better but it's lovely free looks really beautiful.

It's not good Yeah, you can see it it looks nice.

Well yeah, here's here's to actually better with more but they're great for filler and they're just really airy and light they're really beautiful.

Okay, here's a here's a plant that we don't typically recognize as a friend of beds and out of our gardens but Fox Hill grass really has a chance to show coming in the fall and it just you know it'll it'll take root any dang place and come up where you don't want it but it just it nods in the breeze it's very so you know so don't don't leave it where you don't want to see themselves and then Um, let's see I have a few a few little Alma gross this horrible first turn is the most common variety of this it's called feather read grass.

This is a seed that grows in very upright grass, and you can i mean i got gazillions of these but I mean I love this grass, it doesn't it stays where it's supposed to be so it's a really nice kind of weedy looking addition do you leave all this up in the winter for just texture and you know just to have I leave it for winter interests and I also leave it for Kelly beneficial insects covered because those that lots and lots of things live inside hollow stems and at the base of grasses in the winter so if you want some help next summer with the garden, don't be hacking all that crap up.

Okay, I'm sorry I shouldn't have said anyway.

Don't take crap because you could do a lot worse.

Sure I could.

So here is some dried dill and the seeds have already fallen.

A little spider web on there for added interest.

It's just a really, really pretty low there's little envelope sticking up there just really pretty they're very, very nice.

And the last thing I have is just a couple of couple of little spent coneflowers This one has a few petals laughs It's kind of tired they were paying they were the classic bank propria and this one has lost all its petals but what a happy little Dr. Seuss character that is a you know, they're just a funny little tribes sticking up there and I love I love the dry stuff in the in the fall.

They just the the heads once they drop their pedals, they have a lot of interest.

Some of them are just differently from these are just no look around, use your use your artists.

Marty one of the things that I think gardeners should be careful of though is collecting invasive species off the roadside.

And they should really be careful that they know what it is before they collected because you would hate to credit invasive species to your own gardens.

Alright, so what's the best way to identify?

You know, if you see something that catches your eye, what should a person do before they take it home and I love I naturalist it's an app that you can download on your phone and you can take an image and view suggestions and it will tell you what it suggest immediately.

That's usually my go to for instantaneous identification.

But you know, sometimes I worry because you know, teasle is along the roadside, it would actually look kind of cool in a flower arrangement.

But I would never want somebody to harvest it and take it to their backyard.

So I don't have to think oh yeah, there's there's a lot of I girl, I'm near a railroad track.

So there's a lot of stuff.

Right, right over that way that I really don't want in the yard.

But somehow I inherited it just shows up, right?

It does.

So the Yeah, the foxtail is probably the least innocuous but oh yeah, there's a there's a bundle of stuff out there.

I don't want to encourage However, when it's dry and like knock the seeds off.

I'll still use an arrangement.

Awesome.

Thank you.

Those were actually really good.

Okay.

Just because you see something like this, and that's really mean you should have it at your house.

Your statement, fair statement.

worked in the railroads magazine.

Down there.

Yes.

Do not bring it home.

Okay, thank you, ma'am.

Okay, Kelly always has cool house plants.

So what have you What have you got to share today?

That's Yeah, I'm one of those people that follow Instagram and yeah, see what I do on Instagram is look at cool house clips.

And pictures of house plants.

But some some of the there was a couple of house plants I wanted to show you.

This is the black Zizi plan.

low IQ people are totally digging this plant.

Because not only is easy plant, super easy to grow, I mean, if you're going to get a house plant, it's probably zz plant.

As far as can grow under any light conditions can really take abuse from the user.

And just super popular.

I have a few friends who probably need to start with that.

I mean, if I were if I had never grown houseplants before zz plant would be the first one that I would suggest to somebody.

Another one that actually just went crazy this year was my Chinese money plant Look how like this little tiny thing.

And then it has these little pups.

And so then I can easily remove those cups and put them in here and you have one of these.

I was just gonna say might what's no longer a pup It's huge.

Yeah, but the one that you gave me what two years ago still thriving.

So I mean, you know I love it when I can make new houseplants.

Don't we all Yes, don't we all and then I am obsessed with jungle cacti.

And jungle cacti are like succulents, they just require a little bit more water because they're cacti that normally live in the crotch angles of trees in the tropical rainforest.

Well I have two right here.

I have two growing in here.

This is called dancing bone cacti it has a yellow blue.

And this one's called Night blooming the Cirrus and it has this big, bold, beautiful gorgeous blue during the summer for only a few nights of the year.

Hmm.

And so I do have some of those images on my flowers, fruits and frass blog I wrote an article about trendy houseplants so you can always check that out.

And then the other one I wanted to share I love her enthusiasm.

I'm just sitting here grinning like a Cheshire Cat like making my list.

Another jungle cactus called rack rack or rick rack excuse me, and it also has beautiful blooms.

Now this one actually, you know if you look at it thoroughly already starting to try to put roots like I could stick this in and start cutting from that.

So I'm just I love that.

So succulent.

The Jungle cat dies.

I'm just like, I've been obsessed with them for a while.

And so that's my latest obsession is jungle cacti.

Every time I talk to you, it makes me feel so much better about my house plant addiction because I know I'm not alone.

Yeah, that's why I always tell master gardeners, I'm like, you could be obsessed with shoes.

But you're not saying since this was plant, and that's a good thing.

I'm scrubbing the air.

you're contributing industry, so many great things that I tell myself.

Why this problem is not really a problem.

It's not a problem.

As far as I'm concerned.

To nation, I think you would probably agree with me that we were actually we are supposed to grow plants.

That is what human beings do.

If you can't grow, and learn how to grow, it's just you're missing out on this incredible experience in life.

I feel like that's what I was.

I'm here to do is I agree, I agree.

I love it.

Okay, we've got about five minutes left.

And you both wanted to talk a little bit about both.

So I want to make sure we get that in before we.

So Marty, we'll start with you.

You've got some some sad, sad girls that you want to talk about, right?

They're pretty sorry people bought Easter lilies for my church, and they didn't want them.

So I took them.

But I didn't even plan it.

This is this is what?

Holy moly.

It's It's a shame.

Really, like I said, it's been a tough year here at the line.

hassled.

We're getting better.

But yeah, world things good thing their balls are they be cooked over by now.

So I took the liberty for the benefit of our viewers worldwide.

I've taken some of the soil off and showing you what the boat looks like.

When you don't water it.

I don't know if you see that very well.

I'm crispy roots.

Yeah, this is the roots.

Yeah, but the bulb itself actually has a little bit of it's still got some, some fleshy tubers in the in the inside.

And then there's one little guy over here trying to grow.

So I got to him like this, but I think that's enough sadness for one day.

So I'm gonna go ahead and plant these.

I'm gonna try it.

They've been sitting out in the ground.

all summer.

I want to plug them in.

Yeah, and I don't care.

I want to put them all in one place.

So all in a clump.

So you know, if one makes it all day, well, I'm sorry about you other eight or nine or wherever you work.

So I'm gonna give a spin.

You know, I mean, they're gonna be they may not bloom next summer, if they come up if they survive.

Bloom next summer, but then my blue in the summer after that, and I don't, it's just like, well, girl.

So, Kelly, we're going to go to you because you had some bulbs, and you were talking about planting them.

And so some people may not know that you can actually plan or you're supposed to plant in the fall for the following.

So talk a little bit about that.

And what are you going to be planting?

Yeah, all those all those beautiful daffodils and tulips that come up are planted in the fall, and particularly here in Illinois, the month of October.

So all you guys are going to be ordering your balls from your garden centers or online and you're going to be planting those.

Well, there are two little tips that I want to give you before you plant this year.

One is we no longer recommend bone mill as University of Illinois Extension, because bone mill was applied to the planting hole of Bob's because it was thought to promote root growth.

Well now we're actually finding out that adding that bonville x bone mill actually disrupts the roots abilities to attach to mycorrhizal fungi.

Now you think what's mycorrhizae fungi that's really good stuff in the soil.

This fungi that is has a symbiotic relationship with the roots of the bolts and allows that Bob to take up more nutrients so you're actually preventing what you thought you were trying to do.

So you don't have to go out and buy the bone Mills anymore to add to your Bob plants planting holes.

Another thing is Cornell experimented with tulip bulbs.

One of the things I think is pain is to dig down six inches, right because you'll have like serving plants.

depths, you know, clearly you look at this bull, right here, and then you look at this bulb, which one is going to be planted deeper, big and the big one, the big one, the little one has very little planting depth.

But big tulip bulbs they're fine is you don't have to plant them six to eight inches.

You only have to plant them two inches for you to have a good floral display in the spring.

So we'll buy more tulips so you can have a better tulip display because I do think that planting six inches can be a deterrent for people.

So go out and plant lots of bulbs.

Get balls out.

Yes, as we're getting nervous about going into fall and winter.

There's still a lot you can get out there and do preparing for next year.

also getting your mom's and your other fall flowers, picking those up at the grocery store on your way out.

So, ladies, we're out of time.

We had so much other things to talk about.

But we just that was great discussion.

Thank you, Kelly for stopping by.

Thank you so much, Marty.

It's always a blast when you're on.

And thank you for watching.

We appreciate it.

If you have a question or something you'd like to ask one of our panelists, you can drop us a line to your garden@gmail.com or look for us on Facebook.

You can always find us there.

And make sure you join us every Thursday at seven o'clock and we'll see you next time.

Good night.