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August 21, 2002

Let The Fall Planting Begin...
Well, it has started.  We are just too anxious to wait.  Monday afternoon we made a trip to Family Tree Nursery and chose three new trees for the brand new garden.  We chose an Arctic Weeping Willow, an Adcock Pine and a Young's Weeping Birch
(photos).  All three very different looking and great for the areas we chose to plant them in.  We were looking for something evergreen, hence the Adcock Pine, and something with unique shape, hence the Arctic Willow and the Young's Birch.  The impact of a more mature tree on a landscape is quite amazing.  In our initial design we had chosen a Pygmy Dogwood as the focal point.  Well, when choosing the tree we chose a 4ft tree and let me tell you it just did not quite meet our focal point requirements!  We learned a very valuable lesson.  When there is a large space to fill, think big! 

We have been lucky enough to have received some rain the past few days and it sounds like we have a pretty good chance at getting some more this weekend.  It is amazing how the grass has started to green up.  With the addition of cooler temperatures the grass has taken a turn for the green.  Much nicer than that ugly brown color.  It would be nice to think that we are on the downside of this summer weather but the extended forecast looks a little warm and humid.  We just need to hang on until September arrives and then I think we'll get a chance to enjoy the outdoors once again.  Let's hope that's the way it happens!

~ Shelly  

Helpful Harvest Hints...
Fruit and vegetable harvest can be confusing - especially if you're still new at it.  Here are some quick tips to help with a few local favorites:

  • Harvest onions after the tops yellow and fall, then cure them in a warm, dry, well-ventilated area.  The necks should be free of moisture when fully cured in about a week's time.
  • Harvest potatoes after the tops yellow and die.  Potatoes also need to be cured before storage.
  • Pick beans, tomatoes, peppers and squash often to encourage further production.
  • Harvest sweet corn when kernels are plump and ooze a milky juice when punctured with your fingernail. If the liquid is watery, you're too early; if the kernels are doughy, you're too late.
  • Harvest watermelon when several factors indicate ripeness: 
    • the underside ground spot turns from whitish to creamy yellow
    • the tendril closest to the melon turns brown and shrivels
    • the rind loses its gloss and appears dull
    • the melon produces a dull thud rather than a ringing sound when thumped.

Source

Getting Ready For Winter...
Despite the August heat it's actually time for your trees and shrubs to start preparing for winter.  They've got some tough conditions to prepare for and it begins now.  The best thing you can do to help is lay off the fertilizer.  Fertilizing now will only stimulate late growth that won't have time to harden-off properly before winter.  Keep watering however.  You still want to keep them alive after all!

Garden Toppers...
If you have a vegetable or annual garden that is normally empty in the fall and through winter you should consider planting a green manure crop there at the end of this growing season.  The name green manure is given to any crop which is grown only to be tilled back into the soil.  As it rots, the nutrients in the crop foliage and roots will be taken up by the next crop planted in the same place.  Green manures from the legume family, such as peas, beans, and clovers, have an added bonus - nitrogen-fixing bacteria living around their roots can draw nitrogen from the air and convert it to a form the plant can absorb.  This nitrogen will then be available to subsequent crops.

Green manures also act as "cover crops" protecting the soil from compaction and erosion caused by wind and rain, and also reducing the extent that weeds take over on bare soil.

 


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Nuisance of the Week - Heat (and Tomatoes)
Fortunately we have finally had a break in the extreme hot weather.  However, temperatures during our extended hot spell have probably interfered with tomato fruit set.  Normally we see fruit set affected when the daytime temperatures are above 90° and night temperatures don't drop below 76°.  Under such conditions, flowers dry and fall off rather than set.  Since it takes about 4 weeks for tomatoes to reach full size, gardeners may not see the effect of this until about a month after the high temperatures arrived.  There isn't much that can be done for the plants this year except to mulch and water so plants are as healthy as possible.  Next year, however, you might consider putting out a few Sunmaster or Sun Leaper tomatoes.  These are newer varieties that have the good characteristics of our modern types as well as the ability to set fruit under more extreme conditions.

Developing fruit are not as sensitive to high temperatures though severe conditions with daytime temperatures above 100° can reduce pigment production (tomatoes remain a pink color) and delay maturation so tomatoes just seem to sit there without ripening.  Tomatoes that do not color well can be picked early and allowed to color inside the home. Tomatoes should ripen normally now that we have returned to more seasonal weather.

Archive

Well Rooted Evergreens...
Early fall is a good time to plant a balled and burlapped (B&B) evergreen tree.  The key here is "early".  Because evergreens transpire (lose moisture) throughout the winter months, fall planting of B&B evergreens should be done in September to allow time for the roots to become established before the ground freezes.  The trick is to make sure your newly planted evergreen has enough moisture in its roots to weather some dry spells when the ground may be frozen.

Another consideration - If you leave the cloth burlap around the roots do not leave any sticking above the ground as it may wick away moisture and dry out the root ball.  After planting, mulch around the plant to a depth of 2-4 inches.

source

 


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What's Hot On The Hotline...
During the summer months, the K-State Extension office is literally alive with activity.  Despite the warm weather, and partially because of it, the Hotline keeps busy with contacts about watering and general care of lawns, trees, shrubs and vegetables.
  We are literally alive with spiders, insects and mites brought in for identification and suggestions for control as well.  Something crawling in your garden?  Find out in this week's What's Hot on the Hotline...

Wake-Up Sleepy Turf...
If all or parts of your cool season grass have gone dormant this summer you should prepare for a fall comeback now by starting a deep watering program.  Make sure your lawn gets a morning soak twice a week and you will be rewarded with stronger, more lush growth this fall.

Finally...
"If what I say resonates with you, it is merely because we are both branches on the same tree."

~ W.B. Yeats, Poet  1865-1939

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