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November 17, 2004

Great Day, Great Cause...
H
ere it is, November 17th, and the temperature is 71
°F. Kevin and I went for a walk today and what a walk it was! There was a soft breeze, beautiful colors everywhere you looked and the air smelled like springtime. It is hard to be inside on a day like today but my to-do list reminds me of the many things I need to get accomplished Unfortunately working outdoors is not one of them. Poor planning on my part. Maybe I should just toss that list right out the window. After all, days like today are few and far between and there are always more bulbs to plant. A gardener's life is always full of important decisions.

A day like today reminds me that summer is right around the corner. I am especially excited about summer 2005. The weekend of June 17-19 to be exact. Over the next six months I will spend many hours in training - preparing myself for the 60 miles I have vowed to walk in the Breast Cancer 3-Day. This will be more than just a walk, it will be about raising money and awareness to help support the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund. I would like to ask for your help. I personally would like to raise $4,000. There are approximately 5,500 Savvygardener.com subscribers. If everyone donated just $5 to this amazing cause together we could raise $27,500. Wow! Please help me help others! If you are interested in donating or learning more about the walk please click here for more information. Thanks in advance for your generosity and support!

~ Shelly  

Cold Storage At Your 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!

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!

Bunny Love...
During the winter months, rabbits often gnaw on the bark of many woody plants.  Heavy browsing can result in the complete girdling of small trees and small branches clipped off at snow level.  Apple, pear, crabapple and serviceberry are frequent targets of rabbits.  Small trees with smooth, thin bark are the most vulnerable.  Other frequently damaged plants include the winged euonymus or burning bush, Japanese barberry, dogwood, roses and raspberries.

The best way to prevent rabbit damage to young trees is to place a cylinder of hardware cloth (1/4 inch mesh wire fencing) around the tree trunk. The hardware cloth cylinder should stand about 1 to 2 inches from the tree trunk and 20 inches above the ground. The bottom 2 to 3 inches should be buried beneath the soil. Small shrubs, roses and raspberries can be protected with chicken wire fencing.


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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.

Well Watered For Winter...
For maximum winter protection, Savvygardeners need to water landscape evergreens thoroughly once every week or so until the ground freezes.  Evergreens continue to lose moisture from their foliage all winter, but once the ground is frozen, they'll be unable to take up enough water to replace it.  Sending them into winter well watered reduces the potential for damaged foliage.  There's more... broadleaved and tender evergreens exposed to drying winds and sun may need to be shaded on the south and southwest sides to reduce moisture loss and foliage injury.

Winter Wisdom...
Each year we are asked for a reminder of what to do to prepare for winter. While recent temperatures have been up and down, there is no doubt that permanent cold weather is around the corner. Take advantage of the current mild weather and prepare for winter now, while you can still work in relative comfort outdoors!  You'll find a handy checklist in this week's Winter Wisdom...

Wild Things In Lawns...
Wild onion and wild garlic are difficult-to-control weeds. These weeds look very similar to the garden variety onion except the stems of the wild type are much thinner and do not grow as tall as the garden variety. The most effective method for controlling onion and garlic is to create a dense turf through proper fertilization and regular mowing, thereby making these weeds less noticeable and less problematic. Wild onion and garlic die back to underground bulbs during early summer, but bulbs will germinate during the fall and winter. Selective chemical control is difficult and normally ineffective, so co-existing with these plants is often the best choice. One method is to apply 2,4-D immediately after mowing so the herbicide can enter through the cut leaves. This will usually burn back the leaves but may not kill the underground bulb, thus multiple years of applications will be needed.

Source

Finally...
"I love the story of the little girl who showed her teacher a picture she painted of a tree. The tree was purple. The teacher said, 'Sweetheart, I've never seen a purple tree, now have I?' 'Oh?' said the little girl. 'That's too bad.'"

~ Marianne Williamson, Author

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