By Joyce Arleen Corson
Guest Columnist

Joyce Arleen Corson

SYRACUSE — My winter gardens are indoors as well as out of doors. The difference the indoor garden makes is which seeds and plants will grow best by a sunny window or under artificial lights called “grow lights’ and labeled as such.

As the sun changes positions you will have sunlight in windows that have been shaded during summer. The solar passive heat present during this time is loved by the dandelion who survives under all circumstance and doesn’t need to come in the house for protection.

The indoor plants that have been on vacation come in first. They are cleaned, given some liquid fertilizer and a debugger of your choice. Try to use a day when outside temp matches indoor temp to keep leaves from dropping or turning yellow. Plants with light weight leaves, like spider plant, chlorophytum comosum, are first, strong leaves like snake plant sansevieria next and Christmas cactus, schlumbergera last, she can stay out till 40 degrees it helps to set her blossoms.

In January I start my seeds, to be used as house plants or outdoor plants like hosta, under lights.

The outdoor vegetables seeds I plant outside, in relocated hanging baskets when petunias and such are removed. I reuse the potting soil, refresh if necessary, place them on the ground in places out of traffic patterns, let the snow pile on. The once hanging baskets now out side become winter gardens. It will provide a good harvest of small leaves or sprouts all winter. Then the plants will take off in the spring to be arranged somewhere else.

The dandelion is known as “queenbee” food. Photo provided by Joyce Arleen Corson.

By Oct. 10 you may expect frost. Seeds or seedlings planted in September will be spared.

Planting seeds, in all the old familiar places where annuals once stood are green snap peas, under a trellis, others good for sprouts are arugula, spinach, kale, collards and salsify (a carrot dressed in a brown coat), and collards. As seedlings they may be used as garnish amendments for your winter dinner cuisine.

To prepare plants for harsh weather cover with leaf mulch for protection and to feed hungry critters. The leaves add tasty flavor to soups and casseroles of winter.

However through all my years of “ digging in the dirt” the dandelion, blooming first in spring, known as “queenbee” food, has crossed my path with many colloquial conversations. Taraxacum pseudoroseum is a species of flowering plant related to the common dandelion, however, unlike the common dandelion, of which is native to Europe, taraxacum pseudoroseum is not invasive and is cultivated throughout the world. With its unique shape of leaf, it is not hard to identify, by the wine makers, salad lovers, the medics and cookie bakers may have the name of pink dandelion.