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October 9, 2002

Making Time For More Gardening...
What an exciting week!  We have a new sponsor that I can't wait to tell you about.  I am always trying to simplify my life so when Patti Shirley owner of In Your Home Cooking contacted me about becoming a Savvygardener.com sponsor I was thrilled.  I never, repeat never, feel like I have enough time.  Time for anything whether it be the garden, the house or with the family.  So - Kevin and I decided that once we heard about In Your Home Cooking that we should give it a whirl.  Patti actually comes to your house, interviews you about your food likes, dislikes, allergies etc... and then has you choose meals from her menu.  Intrigued?  Well it gets better!  Once you have chosen the meals you would like prepared, Patti does all of the grocery shopping (wahoo, I hate the grocery store) and then comes to your house and prepares the meals and puts them either in your fridge or freezer.  When you are ready to eat those already cooked meals there are instructions on how to warm each one.  Can I ask you, does it get any better than that?  Patti concentrates on fixing a well balanced meal but also likes to cook things her clients really enjoy. Need more time in the garden or in other parts of your life?  Give Patti Shirley a call!

Kevin has been hard at work this week moving the sprinkler. Larry Ryan, of Ryan Lawn & Tree came to our house last Friday to verticut and put some seed down.  So in order for the seed to germinate it needs to be moist for the next 7 - 10 days.  Kevin will be out of town next week so it will be my turn to pull the hose from one location to another.  I think it is time to invest in an automatic sprinkler system!  I'm getting to old to keep pulling those hoses everywhere!  If you are still interested in putting down new seed call Ryan Lawn & Tree today.  They will continue to seed lawns until the 15th of October.

Prepare yourself, I believe that our first frost is right around the corner.  It could come as early as Sunday night.  Don't despair however because Savvygardener.com will keep you in touch with what's going on with the weather.  Check your email for our handy dandy frost alerts.  That way you can protect those fall flowering plants for awhile longer!

~ Shelly  

Only 76 Growing Days Until Christmas...
Christmas is still a way off but if you are planning on displaying home-grown poinsettias it's time to start planning. Poinsettias are short-day plants and must be tricked into blooming for Christmas. Follow these steps: Find a dark, cool (around 55º F) place where the plant will be kept at "night". It must be absolutely dark as even short exposure to a light bulb will throw the process out of kilter. Place the poinsettia in this dark place at 5 PM and leave it there until 8 AM the following day. Between 8 AM and 5 PM place it in a sunny window where temperatures will remain near 70º F. Do this for 11 weeks, watering and fertilizing as usual. With care and patience you should have healthy, blooming poinsettias for the holidays.

Moisture Minders...
One of the problems with all this wonderfully cool weather is that it makes us forgetful.  Even Savvygardeners sometimes cut back on watering too much during the fall.  Your perennials, trees, shrubs, and lawn need that moisture - not like they did in mid-summer but about an inch a week or so.  Watering now and through November helps ensure your plants have a healthy root structure going into our often harsh winters.

Nuisance of the Week - Oak Galls
A number of tiny non-stinging wasps, mites and flies cause abnormal growths to develop on the leaves of twigs of oak trees.  These galls can include growths that are round, spiny, flattened, elongated or star-shaped.

Generally, these gall insects do not cause significant damage to their hosts though some of the leaf galls can cause deformity to make a tree unsightly.  Also, severe infestations of twig galls can cause twig dieback or, in rare cases, death.  However, just because a twig is covered with galls does not mean that it is dead.  Twigs that otherwise look like a solid mass of galls may still leaf out in the spring.  More details and a photo are available here...

 


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This Is Sweet...
I don't know about you but I have made it a habit to grow lots of sweet potato vine every year.  Not so much for the crop but I find the foliage
(photo) to be among the nicest additions to my gardens and pots.  That being said Savvygardeners will want to take advantage of the fruit of those lovely vines.  Our first freeze will immediately turn those vines black and wilty. It is important to dig up sweet potatoes soon after a freeze has injured its vines.

Remove the vines first, then dig the roots and strip away all stems and side roots.  It is generally best to not wash the roots unless they are very muddy or dirty.  Allow the roots to dry for 3 to 4 hours before handling them.  This allows the surface skin to dry and toughen slightly. If you do decide to wash the roots, do it gently and be careful not to scratch or scuff the surface skin.

Immediately after they are dug, sweet potato roots have a starchy consistency and usually are not as sweet as they will eventually become.  Sweet potatoes need to be cured   in a warm, humid place for 7 to 10 to improve flavor and boost the quality of the roots.  Ideal conditions for curing are 85ºF with high humidity (try placing the roots in a small room or cabinet with a space heater or light bulbs to generate heat). After 7 to 10 days (the higher the temperature the faster curing occurs) move the roots to a permanent storage location where the temperature is between 50º and 55º F.  Sweet potatoes will be injured if storage conditions are below 50º F for any length of time.  Warmer storage conditions, however, will shorten the storage life.

Source

 


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What's Hot On The Hotline...
Based on hotline activity it appears that there are a lot of hydrangea growers in the area.  Many gardeners get stumped when it comes to pruning their hydrangeas.  If you fall into that category don't despair!  Help is in this week's What's Hot on the Hotline...

Oh Say Can You Seed...
It's not too late to overseed your lawn - but it's close.  You should be able to successfully overseed for the next week to 10 days.  After that your success will depend on how quickly winter arrives.  Two quick tips to increase your success:

  1. Keep your new turf well watered through the rest of fall.
  2. Read our very popular article, Overseeding A Lawn.

The great thing about seeding and overseeding is the low cost and high return.  Grass seed is cheap.  If your seeding is successful you wind up with a priceless lawn next spring.  If it's not 100% successful you haven't lost much.

Finally...
"Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn."

~ Elizabeth Lawrence, Writer, 1655 -1742

Click Here for Earl May!

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