Vibrant Milky Way
Warm winter in Tennessee
Foxes call to mate
A few days ago we enjoyed another warm front here in Tennessee, with highs a few days ago of 70 and 69, respectively, when the latter night's low temp only got down to around 54 degrees. I was even able to leave our tropical plants out on the covered porch overnight.
Meanwhile, the night before last our low temperature was 24 degrees, followed by 20 last night, but tonight is only expected to reach 37 degrees, with rain and no freezes for the next three days.
Is it any wonder that I've begun referring to these weather swings as our schizophrenic winters?
During my walk with Lolo last night, shortly before I went to bed, I did indeed hear a fox calling in the frigid darkness. Though called a vixen call, I've since learned that both genders use the call, but vixens do so more frequently, typically during mating season, which runs from late winter through early Spring.
I am hoping that this winter remains on the mild side, especially as January is typically our coldest month, both for the comfort of our animals, and for our heating bill, which can be substantial.
So, for those in temperate zones, one crop you may consider trying out is goji berry, which, depending on the variety, is hardy from Zone 2 or 4, up through Zone 6 or 7.
I started mine from cuttings purchased in Spring 2017, but never got them into the ground, thanks to our mower breaking down four separate times last year. Ah, the joys of technology. We still have the better portion of the field in front of our home covered with mixed grasses nearly three feet tall.
Last year I overwintered the goji cuttings inside, while they rooted, but this winter I've left them out on our covered porch. Though most have lost their leaves as expected, half a dozen are still hanging on to their leaves, despite having already gone through back-to-back overnight lows of eighteen and nineteen degrees, and several more nights in the low twenties.
Even more amazing, the one that rooted into a much-larger pot it was sitting in, which is next to the stairs and thus far more exposed to the cold than those closest to the house, has not only massively outgrown the rest, but is actively putting on new leaves with every warm spell we get.
I took photos of it's new growth, which covers it, top to bottom. Naturally, I'll be concentrating on this plant for propagation, and taking lots of cuttings, and saving seeds, come Autumn.
I got cuttings of three varieties of goji, native to China and the Himalayas, which is known as wolfberry in California and along the West Coast, where it naturalized after being brought there by Chinese immigrants working on and around the railroads. You can see the differences in the leaves of at least two of the varieties in the top photo, above.
Unfortunately, the goji cuttings were not marked by variety by the seller, but he said they are easily differentiated by the leaves, though obviously I still don't know which is which. They evidently set much more fruit when grown with multiple varieties, as is common with most fruit, so with something over three dozen cuttings, I am hoping that they do quite well here.
I was fairly shocked that, despite spending over a year planted in large plastic drink cups, several actually bloomed and bore fruit. This impressed me with their vigor, even under such adverse conditions, so I have a good feeling about what they will do once in the ground.
What made me want to grow them initially was an article I read, a few years back, which stated that goji berry is the number one medicinal plant in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
But, while the highly nutritious berries have gotten all the press in the West, in China, the leaves are considered to be every bit as nutritious and medicinal, and are commonly used in human food and as animal fodder, as well as in healing preparations.
Like Chaya and moringa in tropical regions, goji leaves are often sold as a bundle of branches in Chinese markets, enabling the populace to strip most of the leaves for food, and then plant the branch if they choose, to produce much more food for years to come.
There are even goji varieties that grow in the extreme conditions of Tibet and Nepal, which explains how it was able to naturalize so readily in California's High Sierra.
Goji also grows well in warmer climates; I have read that there are goji berries growing in nearly all fifty States and Canada, though they produce berries far better in climates with four seasons. In Zones 8 and above, I would focus on growing leaves, and count any resulting berries as a welcome bonus.
True to my experimental nature, I do have a few I am overwintering inside, to see if they get a jumpstart on Spring, or if it retards their production by not having had their proper winter chilling.
I'm also about to plant four, that have retained their leaves thus far, into large pots that I'll keep on the porch flanking our dining room windows through winter, where they will benefit from some warmth during the coldest periods. I am hoping they will provide some green interest over the winter, and ideally, allow us to harvest a few leaves or more on an ongoing basis throughout the coldest winter months.
I will also plant half a dozen or so that have already lost their leaves, and are dormant, into the ground now, and see the difference in production, if any, between them and those that I plant in Spring.
The leaves on my goji cuttings are small, typically an inch or two long (2.54 to 5.08 cm), with some leaves being rounded and some much narrower, depending upon variety.
Goji leaves are usually cooked, often used in soups and stir fries, but they can also be used raw in salads and smoothies. They have become a favorite snack, as I'll often grab a leaf or two while working on or around the porch,and they have a welcome mild but somewhat tart flavor.
I do have some concerns with goji becoming invasive, as I don't want it to encroach on our woods, but since most of the farmers who have tried to grow it in the Southeast have had trouble getting it established, and the health benefits are so immense, I am willing to take the risk, though I will be covering the plants with bird netting to prevent the seeds from spreading.
Goji does best in climates with hot summers with cool nights, such as the inland Pacific Northwest, so our ridiculously hot and humid summers, not to mention our long wet winters, may keep it well in check. Time will tell.
I have read that goji bushes are resistant to deer, but the one grower who tried to grow it commercially in Kentucky, just to our north, lost his entire crop to deer. And our deer are prolific, everywhere, and voracious when they find a plant they like.
That said, like raspberries and blackberries, goji has a weeping habit and will root anywhere a branch tip touches the ground, so I will have to remain vigilant in order to keep it contained.
Since most of the accounts I've read of its invasiveness were from the West Coast, a climate entirely different from ours, I'm banking on it being relatively easy to contain, if not somewhat difficult to grow, as has been frequently reported.
Wish us luck.
I am dedicating this post to #naturalmedicine, and to further this project, half the liquid proceeds earned from my post will be transferred into its account.
The photos above were taken by me within the past year with my Samsung Note 8 smartphone. I do have photos of a small goji berry bush with ripening berries, but I'm not certain where at the moment, and will try to add it tomorrow.
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