Newsletter9

Did you know...

1. That mulch should be applied after the ground has frozen to prevent
the roots from thawing and freezing repeatedly, which damages them? At least 4 inches should be used, if not more.

2. Now is the perfect time to plant your spring blooming bulbs? They
will have enough time to establish strong root systems before the ground freezes, if you live in the colder climates.

3. The best time to dig up your tender bulbs, such as gladiolas and
dahlias, is after the foliage is killed off by frost but before the
ground freezes so as to give them enough time to dry out in the sun
thoroughly? Store them in a cool, dark place in peat moss, preferably
hung in an onion bag for good air circulation.

4. Now is NOT the time to use fertilizer, unless you have at least six
weeks to go before your first expected frost? Fertilizer used now in
colder climates would promote a flush of new foliage and would cause the plant, be it grass, trees or flowers, to be severely damaged or die over winter. Plants need to slow down and get ready for dormancy instead.

5. It�s never too late to start a compost pile! With all the autumn
leaves falling and more food scraps from using the oven again, now would be a great time! Even if you do not have the means to build a 4x4 ft box with one side left open to place your compost in, use a garbage can!
Poke lots of holes in it so as to give good aeration to promote
bacterial breakdown, and keep the lid on. No matter how cold it gets
out, your compost will remain quite warm and the composting will
continue throughout the winter. Just be careful with using food scraps
as it could draw unwanted animals to visit. Using leaves, grass
clippings, manure and alternating layers of dirt will make a great
compost pile ready for you in the spring. If you�ve had a really dry
fall so far you can add your dead plants to the pile as well. If it has
been wet, throw them out instead. The heat in a compost pile kills most
weed seeds, but if you are still concerned that using the compost in the
spring will give you marigolds in your strawberry patch, just cut off
the seed heads and either dry them out and save them for spring or break them up now and scatter the seeds where you would like some of them next year.

6. Fall is the best time to separate and transplant peonies? Make sure
the crown is not placed any deeper than it was originally, and plant
then at least three feet apart. It could take 2-3 years for the plant to
recover and bloom again, but you will have more blooms and a larger
plant by providing it enough room and sunlight.

7. Brussels Sprouts can be left in the garden over winter to be picked
as needed?

8. That although pruning dead branches is a good idea at this time of
year, keep in mind too little pruning may do more harm than too much. I
don�t recommend pruning raspberries and roses down to the ground, but leave about 1 ft of growth on well established plants. Pruning back your shrubs now is as ideal as it is in springtime, except if you wait too
long in spring you make not get flowers on your flowering shrubs that
year.

That�s all the tips for this newsletter. I want to welcome all the new
subscribers, and to thank the dedicated subscribers who have hung in
there with me through this difficult time for all of us. As always, if
you have any gardening questions, tips of your own, recipes or just want
to �drop me a line�, please feel free to do so at [email protected].
A word to those who already have sent e-mails, I will be getting to your questions soon and will be posting the recipes in a winter newsletter. Thanks, and keep writing!

One final note...

We all need a bit of humor now and then. Maybe you are the type that
subscribes to the numerous joke newsletters out there or maybe not, but I have decided to add one funny item to the end of each newsletter. It
will never be vulgar or in bad taste, just something cute I might have
come across and wanted to share. If you have a clean joke, anecdote or
bit of humor you would like to send me, I�d love to hear from you!

Today�s bit o' humor is a link to the faithful United States Postal
Service. They have great tips on how to send items in the mail, but this
one thing, well, if you ever need to send a hippo through the mail,
here�s how:

http://www.usps.gov/moversnet/howtopacka2.html#hippos

Happy Gardening!

DBS