Browse

see all our catalogs see all our specials

 

Warming up for Winter

I am very grateful. After years of being forced to rake leaves, my kids understood how much more work was involved in raking heavy wet leaves versus dry leaves. So, (with a little encouragement from me) they got them all raked up before our last heavy rainstorm!

The day after the heavy rains I went out to inspect the damage. I noticed my pansy pots knocked over by the strong winds as well as being dug up by annoying squirrels. I consolidated some plants and put these containers right side up again. My extra large containers I'm ready to empty and store for the winter. From these, I pulled the last of my tomatoes and peppers and transplanted the herbs for indoors. I use a good indoor quality potting soil mixed with lots of perilite for aeration. I also give these herbs a good wash with one drop of dish soap in a gallon of water to avoid letting any bugs into the house. The entire plant, roots and all get a soapy shower and then a clear water rinse. There are stronger sprays that can be used on plants that are being brought in as well as systemic granules worked into the soil. Sprays work on contact while systemic granules take about 10 days for the plant to absorb it making the plant toxic to insects. These products are very effective however, on my herbs I prefer to just use soapy water. The excess soil from these large containers gets thrown over where bulbs have been planted. (Then, I can finally get around to laying cedar mulch on top of that.) Once the containers are empty, I pack them loosely with hay and overturn them. This helps to keep water from freezing and thawing inside causing the pot to crack. If practical, the ideal way to protect your ceramic pots is to store them in a place that won't go below freezing.

Further in the yard, I'm finding tons of sticks to go in the kindling box for the wood stove. Hopefully after a couple of dry windy days the last of the leaves will come down and get raked up and a final mowing of the lawn will get done. The gutters will get a final cleaning as well. The black, smelly stuff from the gutters goes directly to the compost pile.

I am aggressively attacking my most bothersome weeds. I cut them back to a bushy base and saturate the leaves and exposed stem with Finale. This product is wonderful. The weed absorbs it through the leaves all the way to the roots and dies within a few days. The product contains something that occurs naturally in the soil but in such a high concentrate that the plant cannot survive. The product breaks down in about 10 days leaving the soil in good shape for planting. With many chemical weed killers, you will not have that option.

I am also clipping the last of my late blooming sedum for drying and I'm disappointed that I have hardly any astilbe plumes to cut (the drought of August took it's toll on these). The rest of my perennials are getting their final deadheading. While I do this, my pockets are full of envelopes to save seeds as I go along.

As my kids are heading out on their bicycles and the oldest is preparing for a driver's license I'm hollering out to remember that the wet leaves in the road are as slippery as ice.

Winter is coming.

11/8/99