November
14, 2001
Holidays
On The Horizon...
The date is November 14th and the weather could not be more
perfect. Don't you just love it? So much for
getting anything done inside the house. I am afraid
I will have to dust soon. The children seem to be writing
their names on pieces of furniture with their fingers (not a good
sign.) It is as dusty outside as it is inside. I have
been watering every few days for long periods of time. I
have spoken to several friends who have already drained their
irrigation systems and have had to pull old hoses out of the
depths of their garages so that they could give their gardens and
lawn a drink. Remember to be Savvy and keep that water
coming. Especially if the weather stays mild and we do not
receive any rain. It is funny how once the weather turns
mild that watering doesn't seem to be such a concern. I
even find myself neglecting my flowerpots. My pansies and
mums are looking a little water deprived also. So much to
remember. Who would have thought that we would still be
doing so much gardening this time of the year?
If you haven't given it any thought there are only 40 shopping
days left until Christmas. Hard to believe. Kevin and
I will be at The
Sweet Onion on Saturday November 24th from 10 AM - 2 PM to
help you pick out the perfect Christmas tree. You should
have seen their trees last year. Wow! They were
fabulous! I can hardly wait to choose mine.
Proprietor Andrea Neumann encourages calls for pre-orders if you
are interested. If you don't need a tree come by anyway and
see the displays of garland, wreaths and other holiday trinkets.
Or those of you who know me (or want to meet me) can stop in for
a chat! As always it will be lots of fun and we look
forward to seeing you there.
Don't forget our other sponsors when it comes to purchasing
Christmas trees and other holiday gift items. Earl
May will have their stores decked out for Christmas with all
of the things necessary for the holidays. The
Barn at The
Kelly Gallery offers ornamental items for inside and out.
All great places to shop for the gardeners in your family.
I ran into one of my "gym" acquaintances this morning
and we were talking about kids and come to find out she is one of
our subscribers. I was thrilled as you can imagine.
Thanks Peggy for being a loyal reader and don't forget to spread
the word!
~
Shelly
Cold
Storage At You Feet...
Looking for a good place to store root crops? Just look
down! Carrots, radishes, turnips and Jerusalem
artichokes store well outdoors in the ground. Just before the
ground freezes, bury them under a deep layer of leaves or straw
to protect the ground from freezing. Simply harvest them as needed during winter by pulling back this
protective mulch and digging them up. Just make sure you
replace the mulch after each visit!
Cold
Cuts...
Now that we've got a couple of killing frosts under our belts
it's time to do some cutting back of dormant perennials.
Cut them back to about 3 inches above the soil surface. Once the
ground is frozen, they can be mulched to guard against
displacement due to soil heaving. These simple steps will
help ensure a successful
show of foliage and color next season.
Mice +
Mulch = Mischief...
Mice and other rodents like to creep around and underneath
mulched areas. Who can blame them? It's warm there!
But they can be mischievous little creatures too. To
prevent them from gnawing on your tree trunks and shrubs keep mulch pulled back several inches from
the bases of your trees and shrubs.
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When
Fruits And Vegetables Don't Get Along...
If you decide to store your vegetables indoors (instead of in
the ground like we mentioned above) make sure you
don't place them with any apples or pears. As they sit
these
fruits give off ethylene gas which speeds up the breakdown of
vegetables and causes them to develop off-flavors. Yuck!
Turf
Tips by Chris Karcher...
It's definitely time to at least think about preparing
for winter. Just because the lawn is going to stop growing
don't think your work is done. Chris spells it out in "Now
What Do I Do?" - a close look at the lawn related
work to be done now and even into winter.
Gardening
Magazines Get You Through Winter!
Great
Subscription Rates For Savvygardeners!
Click
Here Now!
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Winter
Wisdom...
The growing season is surely winding down but our friends at
the K-State Extension remind us of a number of things we can
still do to keep our lawns and gardens growing into next
season. From fertilizing, to bulb planting, to seed
scarification... you will find these timely tips in this
week's Winter
Wisdom...
There's
No Mold Like Snow Mold...
One of the main problems facing lawns over winter is snow
mold disease. Remember all the crusty patches early last
spring as the snow melted away? Lawns left very high for
the winter, along with being covered with debris such as leaves,
are prime candidates for damage. Other factors increasing
the chances for snow mold include excess nitrogen fertilizer,
shade, poor drainage, and excess thatch.
You can
prevent heavy snow mold development by cleaning up fallen leaves
and other debris from your lawn. Make sure the lawn is not
too tall (but not too short either) as winter sets in - about 2½
to 3 inches should do. Also avoid packing down snow cover
on lawns, as slowly melting areas may be more prone to snow mold
early next spring.
Finally... "November
comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.
With night
coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.
The
fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring." ~
Clyde Watson - Author |