SROC's Charlie Rohwer addresses garden club

Members of the Waseca Garden Club held their monthly meeting with a potluck dinner thrown in on the evening of Monday, Nov. 24 at the University of Minnesota’s Southern Research and Outreach Center (SROC). Before the meeting Charlie Rohwer, processing research employee at the center, spoke about how to plant and how to grow in an ever-changing Minnesota climate.

 

He had lots of tips, including that the ears of corn grow higher when you plant them closer together. Rohwer went on, “I know this isn’t new information, but I’m just putting it out there. Boc Choy is also a great option for planting in the spring in southern Minnesota.

When it comes to trees, the Iowa DNR has a large selection of trees to choose from.” 

 

He spoke of broccoli and of cross breeding, “There are new diseases popping up and we are trying to stay ahead of them, they affect the head and not the plant. With broccoli you just cut the head off and you’re done. Burgundy and Montebello are terrible to grow around here.” Black rot affects broccoli and attacks the plant when it gets too wet, said Rohwer, “Heavy rainfall causes it to spread very easily. Another bad one is Alternaria, a disease species that spreads easily and is hard to kill.

 

“Our climate is changing; we’re getting warmer winter nights. We’re getting wetter, but by 2050 it may be even dryer because it will be hotter. So, what should we plant instead? Sycamore trees are big and have a pretty bark, the university planted one to see how those trees will fare in the new Minnesota climate. Sassafras, a medium sized tree, has pretty fall colors with little berries, mitten shaped leaves and a minty fragrance.” He asked whether anyone attending liked the soup gumbo. “Gumbo can be thickened with dried sassafras leaves; there are two planted on the university grounds but they’re still very small.” Wild Rosseyanka Persimmons have a unique, edible, plum-sized orange fruit that doesn’t mature until after the leaves have fallen off. The fruit is very sweet and doesn’t travel well, “If harvested too early, it’s a very astringent taste and sucks all the moisture out of your mouth. When the deer start eating them in the fall, that’s when they’re ready, usually October through December.” 

 

The jumping worms problem, both Amynthas and Metaphire species were listed as prohibited invasive species in Minnesota in 2024, Rohwer said he was not an expert in that field, but said he informed his mother, “A grant has been given so they can start investigating this worm at the arboretum. But what I know is when they transplant something, especially on a hillside and it’s been mulched, the worms eat all the mulch and the soil washes away. The university is keen on keeping those jumping worms out of the arboretum; people are looking into it.” 

 

As he finished, he summarized some of the SROC plantings scheduled for 2026. “We’re planting onions, peas, sweet corn, some cauliflower, bell peppers. The tomato project from the last few years is done but we saved room just in case. We don’t have a carrot project this year but there will be a good amount of watermelon.” 

 

The Garden Club expressed its thanks to the SROC, both for the use of its facility and for fruits and vegetables donated to the Waseca Area Neighborhood Service Center. The Waseca Garden Club is always on the lookout for new members, and offers that anyone interested in membership or more information can contact Dacia Hinkhouse at 612-644-4493.