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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

 

 

 

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