Back From Boston...
Having just returned from a trip to Boston this past weekend
I am trying to recover from the harsh heat of the past two days.
It was certainly Autumn in Boston.
Cooler temperatures and a day of drizzly rain. Interestingly
enough, we have more fall color here in
Kansas City. It was jacket weather nonetheless and
it was welcomed. I am not sure that I remember the temperatures
being in the high 90's in October. Hasn't the weather just
become weird? Hard to guess from one day to the next on when to
water and how to dress.
If you
have newly planted grass seed, stay on top of it. Make sure you
keep it moist while it's germinating.
Try to keep the leaves off as well, allowing sunlight to
penetrate the seed. It is a lot of hard work but if you keep at
it you will be rewarded next spring with a lush lawn.
The Marsh
clan's trip to Boston was one filled with history and great fun.
We visited the New England Aquarium, the Boston Museum of
Science, the Boston Museum of
Fine Art, went on a Whale watching
excursion and had the opportunity to attend a Red Sox game. We
walked the Freedom
Trail and learned about Paul Revere,
John Hancock and many other Patriots
who played a huge role in American history.
The boys really enjoyed seeing the city and it was fun listening
to them talk about what they had seen and learned. We stayed in
a hotel in the Back
Bay area which was close to Boston Common
- a magnificent park where walking and lazing around are
encouraged
(photos).
The gardens were in transition from summer to fall but still
looked great. I hope you enjoy Kevin's photo's as much as I do.
He always finds the perfect shot.
~
Shelly
TLC For Tender
Turf...
Thankfully we seem to be past those rogue
hot and windy days from earlier this week. The biggest
threat posed by the heat and wind is to new grass. 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.
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.
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... "Did you ever hear
of planting hands? Well I can
only tell you what it feels like. It's when you're picking off
the buds you don't want. Everything goes right down into your
fingertips. You watch your fingers work. They do it themselves.
You can feel how it is. They pick and pick the buds. They never
make a mistake. They're with the plant. Do you see? Your fingers
and the plant. You can feel that, right up your arm. They know.
They never make a mistake. You can feel it. When you're like
that you can't do anything wrong. Do you see that? Can you
understand that?" ~
John Steinbeck |