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| Jerry
Apps, author of several books on gardening, at The Morton Arboretum… (Nuccio
DiNuzzo, Tribune…) |
A well-seasoned gardener spills the beans on
growing vegetables and, OK, even a few flowers
By Nina Koziol, Special to Tribune Newspapers
When you've been gardening for six decades,
you're apt to discover a few things in between all the planting, weeding and
watering — like the enchanting sound of bird song on a cool summer morning, a
hawk gliding overhead in search of a midday meal, or the scent of freshly
turned soil, which Jerry Apps describes as a pungent, powerful smell full of
history and promise.
A professor emeritus in the department of
agriculture and life sciences at the University of Wisconsin at Madison,
storyteller, rural historian and author of dozens of books, his newest book is
"Garden Wisdom: Lessons Learned From 60 Years of Gardening"
(Wisconsin Historical Society Press), and it covers the joys of growing
vegetables.
The book contains hard-earned advice along
with insights on how tending a garden can lead to a deeper understanding of
nature. The project was a family affair, with recipes supplied by Ruth, his
wife of 51 years, and photos taken by son Steve Apps at Roshara, the family
farm and garden in northwest Waushara County, Wis., 100 miles north of Madison.
We met up with Apps at a recent lecture and
book signing at The Morton Arboretum, to unearth his secrets to successful
gardening.
Q: You began
gardening during the Depression. How do you keep the fourth generation of Apps
interested?
A: Gardening is the easiest way to introduce
children to nature and to the soil and to help them understand where food comes
from. Kids have a terrible time understanding that carrots come out of the
ground. And carrots don't grow all the same size — you don't know what you're
going to find when you harvest them. That's the mystery and mystique of
gardening.
Q: You grow
your vegetables in rows. Have you tried other methods?
A: I have a lot of room so I plant in rows,
but there are all kinds of ways to do a garden. Square foot gardening (planting
in blocks) is a wonderful idea, as is gardening in raised beds.
Q: Do you
have a favorite tool?
A: My hoe. I have three hoes and my favorite
is one with a 2-inch wide rectangular blade. Hoeing is an integral part of
gardening. (He devotes an entire chapter to the art of hoeing.)
Q: Are you
surprised at the resurgence in vegetable gardening?
A: In the '60s, the students on the Madison
campus decided to grow gardens as part of the back-to-the-land movement. They
had no idea of what a hoe was or how to use it. What they didn't understand was
that the vegetables grow but so do the weeds, so it wasn't such a romantic
idea, but it's come back as a roaring movement.
Q: What's
your favorite vegetable?
A: Potatoes, followed by tomatoes. That's
because I grew up eating potatoes three times a day during the Depression:
fried, baked and in soup. They're nutritious. I went to a one-room country
school and in October we had a two-week potato vacation because all the kids
picked potatoes. I also grow a Three Sisters Garden: corn in the center, pole
beans in a circle around the corn and squash around the outside of the beans.
The Indians believed that corn, squash and beans were inseparable sisters that
grew and thrived together.
Q: How do
you deal with bugs?
A: I avoid all pesticide use. When potato
bugs come out, I pick them off and throw them in a bucket of water. Keep an eye
out for insects; you'll take care of 70 percent like that.
Q: Your growing
season is just 100 days. What's key to harvesting the most vegetables?
A: I plant in stages. To keep track of
everything, I use a planting list on a pad of legal paper. I start tomatoes in
March indoors for planting outdoors in May. One of the earliest things we do is
plant potatoes outdoors. Each potato is cut into sections so it has an
"eye" (bud). Buy them from a garden center — don't use supermarket
potatoes because they've been treated and the eyes won't grow. Next, radishes
and carrots are planted together (outdoors). The radishes come up first and I
harvest them, which makes room for the carrots. We love onions and we grow them
from sets (dried bulbs). Peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, squash and pumpkins go in
next.
Q: What's
new in your garden this year?
A: Every year we plant something a little
exotic. I like broom corn because the seed heads make great bird seeds. One of
the reasons for gardening is the aesthetics of just doing it. Sometimes you
plant something just so you can look at it. For example, gourds are really fun.
There are little bitty ones and big ones that can be used as birdhouses.
Q: And
flowers?
A: I'm really a vegetable gardener, but
sunflowers — oh, my gosh — what is more beautiful than to go out in your garden
on a sunny day and be welcomed by a sunflower?
Q: What's
the most important lesson you've learned?
A: Gardening is a way to connect to nature
and the land in one of the most meaningful ways. We're not making any more
soil. Through gardening, we learn to be a part of — not apart from — nature.
It's also taught me patience. Be surprised and enjoy it. You have to realize
that there's more to gardening than putting seeds in the ground and pulling
weeds.
