Big Apple
Weekend...
I've been wanting to visit New York
City since I was a young teen. I remember seeing pictures of New
York on TV, in magazines and listening to people talk about what
a unique place it is. Well at the age of 42 I finally got my
chance to visit the Big Apple. Kevin and I spent this past
weekend there and I have to say that I can hardly wait to go
back. We were there for such a short time but tried to see as
much as we could. We visited The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island,
Ground Zero, and the Empire State Building. We stayed in Times
Square, walked through Greenwich Village, China Town, SoHo and
spent most of the day Sunday walking around Central Park
(photos).
There may not be a lot of gardening space in Manhattan but the
shops, galleries, food and architecture are unbelievable! We did
not have the opportunity or time to see a
Broadway show but that will certainly be something we do
the next time. It is everything I thought it would be and so much
more. Truly a wonderful experience.
It sounds
as if fall is going to make a grand
appearance later today. The low temperatures on both Thursday and
Friday will dip into the mid 30's so if there are tropical plants
that you still have outside and tender annuals you want to keep
around a bit longer you may want to bring them in or cover them
up. You can use plastic (as long as it is not touching the plant),
cloth sheets, pots and/or
anything else you have available to protect your plants from a
light frost. Don't worry if there are things that you still have
not planted. A couple of light frosts will not freeze the ground.
I have waited as long as November to plant bulbs and other
items. Still lots of time to plant so
no need to panic.
~
Shelly
Storing Summer Bulbs...
It's time to start thinking about
storing bulbs that will not survive Kansas
City winters. The bulbs of gladiolus, caladium, dahlia,
tuberous begonia, calla lily, and canna lily need to be dug and
stored so they can be planted next year.
All of
these plants should be dug after frost has browned the foliage.
Allow them to dry for about a week in a
shady, well-ventilated site, such as a garage or tool shed.
Remove excess soil and pack them in peat moss, vermiculite or
perlite. Make sure the bulbs don't touch, so that if one decays
the rot doesn't spread to its neighbors. Dusting them with
fungicide before storage will help prevent them from rotting
as well.
Caladium
should be stored between 50°
and 60°
F. The rest of the bulbs mentioned should be stored near 40°
F.
Source
Squash
Harvest & Storage...
Make sure you harvest pumpkins and winter
squash before they get hit by frost. Immediately after harvest,
the fruit should undergo a ripening or curing process to harden
the shell. A curing period of about two weeks at 75°
to 85°
F with good circulation is desirable. Storage should then be at
50°
to 70°
F with humidity between 50 and 70 percent. Also, leaving a couple
inches of stem will not only provide a "handle" for
jack-o-lanterns but will improve storage.
TLC For Tender
Turf...
If you are growing new grass from seed be
sure to keep it wet - especially as the new, young blades shoot
forth from the soil.
This is when the grass is most vulnerable. If it dries out, it
dies. No need to soak it. Just keep it moist with a couple of
sweeps from the hose spray nozzle several times a day.
Tomato Rescue...
If you are
rescuing green tomatoes from a frost and plan to allow them to
finish ripening indoors, be sure to select fruits that have
changed color from the darker green of immature tomatoes to the
lighter color of the mature green stage. If picked before this
color break, the tomato will rot instead of ripen. You will be on
the safe side if you wait for a hint of red to appear.
Source
Evergreen Pruning...
Light pruning of both needle and broadleaf
evergreens is recommended in late fall to encourage a strong
framework to help the plant overcome any snow damage. Simply
remove any weak or crowded branches with a pair of clean sharp
pruners.
Look Who's Sleeping In The
Garden Bed...
Many disease-causing viruses overwinter in the roots of
perennial weeds. Tomato mosaic virus overwinters in the roots of
ground cherry, horsenettle, jimson weed, nightshade, and
bittersweet; cucumber mosaic virus lives in the roots of
milkweed, catnip, and pokeweed; bean mosaic overwinters in white
sweet clover roots; and many cabbage diseases spread from wild
members of the cole family. A good fall cleanup is essential.
Don't wait!
Source
Time For Lime?
If the results of a soil test suggest that your lawn or
garden needs an application of lime now is the time to do it.
Never had a soil test before? Shame on you! Resolve to get one
done this month. We've posted easy to follow
instructions on the Savvygardener.com website.
Finally... "For my own part I
am pleased enough with surfaces - in fact they alone seem to me
to be of much importance. Such things for example as ... the bark
of a tree, the abrasion of granite and sand, the plunge of clear
water into a pool, the face of the wind - what else is there?
What else do we need?" ~
Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire |