This Christmas cactus may be struggling to bloom due its location in the home with lower light conditions. Photo: Ask Extension, UMD HGIC.
Q: This year, I am again having problems with the flowers on my Christmas Cactus. The plant gets an abundance of flower buds, but most of the ones that flower do not flower completely. Many partially flower, but then start drooping before fully blooming and opening. Also, many of the buds fall off before blooming. I am careful not overwater, and the plant is in a window facing the east.
A: It can be difficult to know for sure what is causing the symptoms, but possibilities include low ambient humidity (these cacti are native to jungle environments, where they grow as epiphytes on the trees like orchids do), temperature fluctuations, under-watering, and possibly exposure to ethylene gas, which can come from a group of ripe fruit and leaks in gas appliances.
When watering, make sure the potting mix is thoroughly rehydrated, and excess water freely drains out of the bottom drain holes. To boost humidity, consider using a humidifier (misting foliage will not be effective).
An east-facing window doesn’t give the plant much light (especially this time of year and if the plant isn’t directly in front of the pane), so if you have an option to grow it in a west- or south-facing window, that may help with growth and vigor overall, even if it may not change much with regards to flower bud dropping. In fact, that may need to wait until after the flowering period, as Iowa State notes that “to avoid flower bud drop, do not move the plant during flower bud development,” though it can be moved once flowers are opening. Michigan State mentions a couple of other causes, such as exposing the plant to light that interrupts its required 13 hours of darkness (a seasonal trigger for flowering) and exposing the plant to temperature swings (drafts), particularly below about 50 degrees. The linked page has more details about the darkness period.
Heavy blooms are a hallmark of Christmas cactus and its cousin, the Thanksgiving cactus. Photo credit: Washington County Master Gardener Wilma Holdway.
By Miri Talabac, Horticulturist, University of Maryland Extension Home & Garden Information Center. Miri writes the Garden Q&A for The Baltimore Sun and Washington Gardener Magazine. Read more by Miri.
As I write this, it’s a cold rainy day in early December, and I’m thinking about okra.
This sounds bonkers. You can’t even buy okra in grocery stores right now, and the only crop I’m harvesting from my garden is turnips. But I firmly believe that we should think about summer vegetables in the winter, at least for purposes of garden planning. The time to consider your okra seed purchase is not August, or July, or even June, when you might want to be planting it. If you’re ordering from a seed catalog (and you will get a far better choice of varieties that way, since stores usually offer one or possibly two kinds of okra seed), you need to plan ahead. Okay, maybe not as early as December. I’ve been thinking about okra because I plan to feature it in my own community garden plot next year, and I’ll also be in charge of a bed at the Derwood Demo Garden.
Frankly, we’ve underserved okra at Derwood in the past. We tend to think of it late in the planning process, or maybe not at all, and stick in about three plants in some less-than-ideal location. Okra will not be productive if it doesn’t get enough space to grow, or enough sun, and even under better conditions three plants are not sufficient for a decent harvest. Give it what it needs, however, and it will thrive. Okra is one of those rare crops that truly loves our hot, humid summers.
The other thing okra needs, that we’ve found hard to provide at the demo garden, is frequent harvesting. The pods grow fast and turn hard and inedible, and picking once a week is definitely not enough; we end up composting half our crop. We’ll need to get to the garden more often, but I doubt it’ll be more than twice a week, so as I’m looking at varieties to order seed, I’m concentrating on those that claim pods are tender even at larger sizes.
Not everyone loves okra (more on that below) but if you do, it is worth growing your own. Here are some things to think about as you peruse the seed catalogs and plan your garden:
Some catalogs also only have two sorts of okra available. That’s okay, they are probably well-tested ones (Clemson Spineless and Red Burgundy, I’m looking at you). But if you want to have a broader choice, check out catalogs that feature heirloom varieties, or that originate in the south, where okra is a beloved crop.
Read the descriptions carefully. Some varieties are meant for small gardens or container growing, and max out at two or three feet; some will be eight feet tall and three feet wide. Most are in the middle. The pods also vary considerably in length and thickness. Colors vary as well (green, red (anywhere from burgundy to orange), or green with red highlights).
You can start seeds either in pots or directly in the garden, but read up on seed scarification. Okra seeds are tough and will need to be soaked and/or nicked or roughened up before they will germinate.
Okra likes it hot, so wait until late May or early June to put it in the garden. Or later, if you’re pulling out a spring crop and have bed space available. Check days to maturity to figure out how late you can start a variety; you’ll want to start harvesting at least by mid-August, so for a 60 day crop, plant by mid-June.
Give the plants full sun and plenty of space (about 18 inches apart for larger varieties). They are fairly drought-resistant when full-grown, but of course they need watering well as seedlings.
Okra flowers are gorgeous, by the way, so make sure you enjoy them!
Harvest frequently. Every other day is ideal. You can save up the pods for a few days in the fridge and cook them all at once. If I’m not certain whether a pod is too tough to eat, I give it a squeeze; if it makes a cracking sound, it goes in the compost.
All right, but isn’t okra slimy? Or, to use a perhaps even less attractive word, mucilaginous? It certainly can be, if it’s not treated right. Maybe in soups and stews that’s okay, especially in whatever favorite okra dish you may have grown up with, but if the sliminess turns you off, here are some ways to mitigate the mucus.
Young okra is great eaten raw in a salad, with dips, or as a snack while standing in the garden, and it’s fresh and crunchy and not slimy at all.
Traditional breaded and fried okra is terrific and if there is slime, you don’t notice it. Probably you don’t want to eat it this way every day, but it’s a fantastic treat. You can also use an air fryer to avoid all that oil.
If you’re frying okra without a crisp coating to distract you, here’s a secret: keep it dry. Wash it and then rub it thoroughly in a dish towel to get rid of any moisture. Make sure the cutting board and the knife are dry before cutting into the okra. You can either toss it in oil and seasonings before putting it in the pan, or place it in an oiled pan and season there, but make sure no water-based liquid touches it. The slime doesn’t develop in its absence. Air fryers work here too.
I hope you’ll join me in thinking about okra for next summer!
By Erica Smith, Montgomery County Master Gardener. Read more posts by Erica.
If you’re seeing all kinds of lovely root vegetables at farmer’s markets this time of year, start planning now so you can grow them yourself next fall! I am so glad I decided to put in seeds for beets, turnips, and radishes back in August. These are all super-easy crops to grow, if you follow a few simple guidelines.
Here are the steps from thought to harvest:
Plan ahead! Buy your seeds for fall planting when you get the ones for spring and summer, because they may be hard to find later on. (Autumn root crops are usually grown from seed; buying plants is a waste of money since you only get one root per plant.) Radishes, beets, turnips, and carrots are all good choices.
Make space. Allowing room for fall crops can be difficult in a small garden. If some of your summer crops are not looking too great, take them out and prepare the bed for fall seeding. Or plant a bed with a summer cover crop or a quick-growing crop you know you’ll be removing soon, such as bush beans.
Prepare your soil. Root crops like a loose soil – try inserting a trowel into the soil, and if you have to force it in, you will not get a great root harvest. Add some compost! Raised beds provide the ideal environment, since the soil seldom gets compacted. Make sure your planting area gets plenty of sun.
Know how long your root crops will take to mature. It’s disappointing to not get edible roots because you didn’t allow enough time. Check HGIC’s planting guides for general information on timing, and also check the seed packet which will give you specifics for the variety you’re growing. Root crops are hardy and will tolerate frosts, so you can plan harvest for anytime from early October to late November, but the later you start the seeds, the slower the plants will grow. (This has more to do with the amount of sun than the temperature.) For a crop that lists 60 days to maturity from seeding, plant in mid-August (you’re allowing an extra week or two for the fall slowdown). Quicker crops like radishes can be planted in succession from late August to late September. Most root crops will sit in the ground just fine in cool weather, so you can harvest them as you need them.
Plant as directed. Don’t worry too much about spacing since you will be thinning later on.
Keep paying attention as the plants grow. Water regularly if it doesn’t rain, and take out weeds as soon as you can recognize which are the desirable plants. If your soil is low in phosphorus or potassium (which is unlikely), you may need to fertilize, but regular additions of compost through the year usually do the trick with these quick-growing crops. Thin the seedlings when they are several inches high – this means pulling out the plants in between a final set that are several inches apart. Think about what the roots will look like in maturity (what they look like when you buy them), and allow that much room plus a bit extra between plants. I find it easier to thin in two stages, taking out bunches when the plants are small and then a few more as they mature. You can eat the thinnings in salads, if you wish; they’re all edible and delicious.
Harvest when ready! All of these root crops will show some of the root portion above the soil, so you can check on size without pulling them out.
In practice, I’m often not on top of thinning, and it was hard to water enough this year with our persistent drought. So some of my root crops, especially the beets, are smaller than they should be. (On the other hand, some of the radishes are enormous.) But even with mistakes I manage to get good results! Try root crops next year and harvest some treasure from underground.
By Erica Smith, Montgomery County Master Gardener. Read more posts by Erica.
Six years ago, I visited Burpee’s Fordhook Farm in Pennsylvania as part of the International Master Gardener Conference. We toured their trial garden, and one of the crops I noted was a direct-sow tomato plant. This is an exciting innovation to vegetable gardeners, because it means not having to start seeds indoors and raise your tomato plants under lights until it’s time to transplant them outdoors. You could just plant the seeds directly in the ground and still harvest your tomatoes at the same time as conventionally grown ones. I decided I had to try this when the seeds were available.
Well, it’s 2025, and the seeds have appeared in Burpee’s catalog, so I bought some. Here’s the lineup: two tomatoes and three peppers. I got seed for the Rain Drops tomato, a cherry (claims 70 days to maturity from sowing), and the Sow Sweet snacking pepper (60 days). Here’s how growing them went for me and what I thought of the results. (Note: this is nothing like a real field trial, but rather one small-scale gardener’s experience in one year.)
If you thought growing tropical plants like ginger couldn’t be successful in Maryland, think again! Ginger (Zingiber officinale) can be grown throughout the state, including Garrett County! Although it takes a long season to grow, starting it indoors and moving it outside will allow you to have a plentiful supply of ginger to use in savory dishes, baked goods, sweets, and beverages!
Ginger is a tropical plant that requires warmth, humidity, and a growing season of 8 to 10 months. Since winters are too cold and ginger dies below 50°F., it needs to be treated as an annual, and gardeners have even successfully overwintered the plant indoors.
To start growing ginger, make sure you are choosing the correct ginger, culinary ginger rhizomes. They can be purchased from a nursery or grocery store. However, some ginger can be treated with a growth inhibitor at the grocery store. When purchasing the rhizomes, look for nodules along the rhizome where the root is actively trying to grow shoots.
After purchasing the correct ginger, sprout the rhizomes indoors in late winter or early spring. This time period is around 6-8 weeks before the last frost. However, I have found that starting earlier and using a grow light will allow the plant to mature faster. To sprout the rhizomes, soak them overnight in a shallow tray and then place them in a shallow tray or pot with loose, well-draining soil in a warm (70-80°F.) area. Using a warming mat helps speed up the propagation process. Once the ginger has sprouted, transplant it into a large container, at least 12 inches deep. Ginger rhizomes grow horizontally, so the width of the pot is more important than the depth. Using 5-10 gallon grow bags has been very successful in my garden throughout the years I have grown it!
Visible eyes sprouted after several weeks. These will now move into a deeper container under a grow light. Photo credit: Sarah Llewellyn Shoots started in late winter, growing with help from a grow light until warmer weather arrives. Photo credit: Sarah Llewellyn
Once all threats of frost have passed, slowly acclimate the ginger to outdoor conditions. The ginger can remain in the pot, allowing for a longer season because you can move the plant indoors in the fall on cooler days. You can also plant directly in the soil. However, using pots or grow bags does make harvesting the rhizomes much easier at the end of the season.
Throughout the season, keep the soil moist but not soggy and fertilize with a balanced fertilizer (contains roughly equal percentages of nitrogen, Phosphorus, and potassium) monthly. Ginger grows slowly, but you will be able to see leafy growth throughout the summer. It will likely not have a long enough season to flower, but the plant will still produce usable rhizomes. Ginger can be kept at room temperature for a few days, or it can be kept in the refrigerator unpeeled for a month or more. It can be frozen whole, sliced, or minced for long-term storage. It can also be dehydrated for extended storage.
Ginger at season’s end, attempting to grow flowers as it dies off due to cold weather in late October. Photo credit: Sarah Llewellyn
Harvest usually occurs in the fall before frost, typically in late October in Allegany Co. To harvest, use a garden fork to gently lift the plant to separate the rhizomes. If the plant is in a pot, turn it over to remove the whole plant and spray off excess soil. Plants can be overwintered inside, but will become dormant. During dormancy, keep the soil moist and maintain temperatures around 70 degrees. During this dormant period, the plant may lose its leaves, or you can cut them back to the soil level. Growth should resume in early spring when you move the plant back outside after the last frost. Ginger harvested from the garden in late October. These were grown in a 5-gallon grow bag. Photo credit: Sarah Llewellyn
Overall, ginger is a long-season crop, but it can be grown throughout the state with early-season sprouting and can also be prolonged in a greenhouse or brought inside. So, the only thing left is to decide what recipe you will want to use with your fresh ginger!
By Sarah Llewellyn, Agent Associate and Master Gardener Coordinator, Allegany County, University of Maryland Extension.
Q: I found a group of caterpillars on my blueberry plants. Some branches were completely stripped of leaves. I have several plants around my yard such as milkweed so hope to ID these before taking action to eradicate.
Yellownecked caterpillars feeding on a blueberry bush. Photo credit: Ask Extension
A: These are Yellownecked caterpillars, a native species that can feed on azalea and various other host plants. They won’t cause severe damage to the plant, even if it’s defoliated, by chewing leaves this late into the growing season. However, if you want to remove them, just pluck them off by hand or knock them into a container of soapy water to kill them. (Or, just knock them off into a dry container and toss them elsewhere for birds and other animals to eat. Yellownecked caterpillars are preyed upon by various insects and other animals, so some will be eaten before they mature.
No pesticide is needed in this case, but if they cause problems in a future year, young, smaller caterpillars can be treated with Btk (Bacillus thuringiensis variety kurstaki), a derivative of naturally- occurring soil bacteria that kills caterpillars without harming other insects. Older caterpillars are not as vulnerable to Btk, so if you miss that life stage and only find them when they’re larger (as pictured here), they can be managed with a spinosad application instead. Spinosad is a relatively low-risk insecticide derived from a soil microorganism and approved for use in organic farming. Follow all product label directions for use, and ensure the chosen product can be used on edible plants.
By Miri Talabac, Horticulturist, University of Maryland Extension Home & Garden Information Center. Miri writes the Garden Q&A for The Baltimore Sun and Washington Gardener Magazine. Read more by Miri.
Have a plant or insect question? The University of Maryland Extension has answers! Send your questions and photos to Ask Extension. Our horticulturists are available to answer your questions online, year-round.
Last year, I accidentally introduced bacterial leaf spot into the pepper beds in my own community garden plot and the Derwood Demo Garden, probably through infected seed. BLS is a common disease of peppers that spreads quickly in warm, humid weather (a.k.a. our summers) and can be devastating to an entire crop, especially in small gardens. Lesions on leaves expand until the foliage drops; lesions on fruits make them unattractive though still edible. Cooler, drier weather (the kind we mostly don’t get) can slow or even stop the disease, but otherwise, the only solution once it really gets going is to pull the plants. Trash them, don’t compost them, because while the disease doesn’t linger long in soil, it can last quite a while in plant debris. This also means that garden cleanup is important. Read more about BLS and how to prevent and manage it here.
