November
1, 2000
Farewell
Friends, Hello Chickens...
It has been a very interesting week around the Marsh
house. Last Wednesday good neighbors of ours, the Millers,
moved out of the neighborhood. They were like family to
us. Our kids played with one another, they would invite me
and the boys to dinner when Kevin was out of town and generally
speaking were always there for us when we needed them. They
were just great people and I was very sad the day they
left. It was especially hard for me, being a stay-at-home
Mom. I was losing the convenience of a very good friend
whom I could count on when I needed help with the kids.
Needless to say I was very apprehensive about the new neighbors
though I am not quite sure why. It is not like I am this
shy person who has a problem introducing herself to other
people. I think I was anxious that I might not have the
same relationship with the new neighbors that I had with the
Millers. So anyway, the new neighbors are in and they are
very nice and seem to be good people. The only thing that
we are trying to adjust to is the chickens. Yes,
chickens. Apparently the new neighbors have just left a
farm and the chickens came with them. Now, I am a city girl
and while I have nothing against chickens in general I prefer
that they are not roaming around in my front yard. The kids
think they're great of course. I am not sure how long the
chickens will be around so for now I am trying to keep an open
mind!
Mark your
calendars! On Friday November 10th, Andrea and Steve Neumann,
proprietors of The
Sweet Onion are hosting a gathering for Savvygardeners.
It is free and drinks and hors d'oeuvres will be served.
Kevin and I are really excited about the opportunity to meet some
of our subscribers. I hope you will come and share with us
some of your very own gardening tips. Click here to RSVP.
A special
welcome is in order for all you new readers that subscribed after
seeing us on Fox
4 News Sunday night! It was a nice piece they did for
their "Surfin' The Net" series. You are in good
company. We now have well over 2,000 readers!
One more
thing - Don't forget to exercise your right to vote next Tuesday!
It's important.
~
Shelly
Breathtaking
Beauty...
Before I get too far I want to make it clear that while I
love the look of paper-white narcissi I really don't care for
their smell. Yuck. That being said paper-whites are
certainly popular and if you want a pretty display of them
in time for Christmas you should get started now.
They will
take about six weeks to bloom so plan your start time according
to when you need a floral display. When
ready to plant, put a layer of peat moss in the bottom of a pot or bowl.
Try to be creative about the container you choose. Add pebbles, gravel or
crushed marble to within about 1 inch of the top of the
container. Position the bulbs (pointy side up) in the gravel
so that they are just touching each other. Water
thoroughly. Place them in a well lighted spot like a sunny
window and keep them watered. When the flower shoots are
about six inches tall water the bulbs several times a week.
The blooms aren't far behind. Neither is their breathtaking
scent.
Stop Those
Stowaways...
When cool night temperatures signal that it’s time to bring
houseplants indoors a host of insects and their relatives may try
to come indoors with them. Once inside they can undergo a
population explosion and spread from the plant they came in on to
others in your home. Other pests such as millipedes,
centipedes, sowbugs and pillbugs, spiders, and earwigs may not
harm plants or other materials, but their presence indoors makes
them household nuisances.
Repotting
your plants in fresh soil will eliminate many of these
invaders. The others can be controlled mechanically - by
broom and dustpan, vacuum cleaner, flyswatter or sole of shoe
applied firmly to floor with the pest sandwiched between the flat
surfaces. The best approach is to inspect plant pots
closely before bringing them inside. Shake or tap pots
vigorously to disturb beetles, millipedes, spiders and other
creatures and encourage them to leave their hiding places.
If you find scale insects, mealybugs, aphids or other
plant-destructive pests, use a hard stream of water or
insecticidal soap to remove them. Quarantine these plants
from other uninfested indoor plants and observe them
closely. Treat any new outbreaks as they occur and discard
any plants that are severely infested.
Source
One Bad
Apple...
If Autumn finds you storing some of your garden harvest make sure
to store apples or pears separately from your vegetables. They
continuously give off ethylene gas which speeds up the breakdown of
vegetables and causes them to develop off-flavors. This is
the same process that allows green tomatoes to ripen quickly when
placed in a sack with and apple.
Heavy
Rains And Garden Drains...
Fall rains provide a good opportunity to find drainage
problems in the garden. Watch for standing water in perennial beds after
a good downpour. Water that collects on the surface during winter will
likely freeze and can damage your sleeping perennials.
Temporarily ease the problem by digging shallow trenches to help
drain excess water away. Next spring you can add soil and
re-grade trouble spots for a more permanent fix.
Lawns
That Make The Grade...
Is your lawn uneven? We have at least one low spot
(probably where a tree was removed years ago) that causes havoc
when we mow. You can fix small low spots in the lawn by carefully
removing the turf and filling in the low spot with good topsoil.
Remove the turf by cutting 2 inches deep into the lawn with a
flat-bladed spade, then angle the blade under the sod to cut it
free, keeping at least 2 inches deep to get most of the roots.
If you do it really well you will remove a single piece of
sod. After filling the low spot, replace the sod, and keep it well
watered until it is reestablished.
What's
Hot On the Hotline...
Each fall insect activity is a topic of concern for many
local homeowners. Last week's article addressed insects and
critters that seek shelter indoors from the cold. This past
week we fielded a great number of questions about the worrisome
gnats which swarm on our trees, walls, (especially newly-painted
exterior siding), and window screens. What's bugging
Savvygardeners in this
week's Hotline...
Getting
A New Garden Going...
Is there a spot on your property that is begging to be turned
into a garden? Well, the time to dig a new garden bed is
now. You want to do it before the ground freezes but also
make sure the soil is dry before you begin to work it. Incorporate plenty of organic matter
(leaves are great) and
leave the soil rough to allow water penetration. You might
also consider tilling in a good compost/topsoil blend like the
one we buy from sponsor Missouri
Organic Recycling. For even better results top it all
off with a cover crop to further increase the soil's organic matter content.
Next spring's plantings will thrive!
Finally... "All
in November's soaking mist
We stand and prune the naked tree,
While all our love and interest
Seem quenched in the blue-nosed misery." ~
Ruth Pitter, 1897-1992, The Diehards, 1941 |