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November 17, 2004 |
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Great Day,
Great Cause...
Here 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.
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 |