The Last Carrot

It's getting cold out there. As night time temperatures dip into the 20Fs, it's time to harvest what you can from the garden. Although the soil is warmer than the air this time of year, soon it will get even too cold for root crops. It's time to act like Bugs Bunny and dig them up.

Carrots, parsnips, beets, and turnips are some of the most common root crops you may still have growing in your garden. When the temperatures dip into the low 20Fs, you have two choices. Either dig up all the remaining roots or protect them. To dig up your carrots and other roots, use an iron fork or shovel. Moisten the soil before digging if it's not already wet. Work around the bed to loosen the soil. Once the soil is loose, the roots will pull out easier. Avoid digging too close to the root crops or you may break them.

Once harvested, clean the roots well and store them in plastic bags in the refrigerator crisper. They will last up to a month in the refrigerator. If you have a root cellar or basement that stays just above freezing, you can store them in wooden boxes filled with slightly moist sawdust or peat moss. Some roots can last for months under proper storage conditions.

If you don't want to dig all the roots at once, mulch them heavily with hay or straw. Bury the bed in a 6- to 8-inch deep pile of mulch. This will prevent the soil from freezing, creating an "in-ground" root cellar where you can harvest roots throughout the winter by digging through the mulch.

-Charlie, Lawn & Garden

Let's Do the Tree Wrap

No, I'm not asking you to break out into song, although your plants probably would like it. Tree wraps are used to protect young trees in winter from damage. Hungry mice and voles love to hide in mulch and snow around the base of trees. They can munch on the tender bark all winter without you even knowing it. The result is a girdled tree in spring that will be weakened and may actually die.

To prevent the damage, place a simple tree wrap around the base of the tree. Tree wraps come in many forms. Some are like a flexible tape, others are plastic, and some are simply wire mesh cylinders. The key is to bury the wrap about 1- to 2-inches into the soil around the tree and wrap up as high as the usual snow line. When in doubt go higher. Sometimes mice will girdle trees right below the snow line and, depending on the winter, that can be a few feet up the trunk.

Another protective practice is to whitewash young tree bark with a white outdoor latex paint. This can help prevent bark cracking in winter. On a cold, clear day the sun will heat up the bark and it will expand. Once the sun sets, the bark contracts quickly in the cold air and can crack. Whitewashing prevents the bark from absorbing so much heat and prevents the cracking. Use the whitewash above the tree wrap to protect the whole trunk. There's no need to paint the branches.

-Charlie, Lawn & Garden

Protecting Roses from Winter

For gardeners in cold climates (USDA zones 6 and colder), hybrid tea and floribunda roses can be harmed by winter's cold. The cold winds and temperatures can cause the canes to die back to the ground. Most hybrid roses have been grafted. The graft union is where the variety you're growing has been grafted onto a rootstock variety with strong vigor or hardiness. If the union dies the rose that grows up from the ground in spring will be the rootstock variety and not the variety you planted. So, it's important to protect the graft union. For most heirloom, landscape, or own-root roses, you don't have to worry about this. They are either very hardy, or the roots are the same variety as the shoots, so if they die back the rose that sprouts will be the one you want.

To protect your roses, you'll need to cover them. You can buy rose cones and place them over the rose canes, but a cheaper and easier method is to bury the rose graft unions with bark mulch or straw. Shredded bark mulch or straw is coarse enough to let air freely circulate around the rose canes so they don't rot in winter. However, it still protects the canes from cold winds and fluctuating winter temperatures. Pile on a 1- to 2-foot deep mound of bark mulch over each plant or create a wire cylinder filled with straw. Don't worry about the canes that are sticking out of the mulch. They can be pruned in spring. Wait until early December to apply the mulch. By then most mice and voles will have found other places to spend the winter. If you mulch too soon, they will take up winter residence in your mulch pile and potentially gnaw at the rose canes all winter.

In spring remove the mulch at the first sign of the rose buds swelling. Prune back your hybrid roses to the 3 to 5 strongest canes and remove any canes that are winter injured.

-Charlie, Lawn & Garden

Getting the Mower Ready for Winter

Lawn grasses have pretty much stopped growing for the season. Even though we may be getting some sunny, warm, late fall days, because the days are so short and nights cold, the grasses are going into dormancy. If you haven't already, it's always good to do one last mowing of the season. By mowing one more time you'll keep the lawn grasses short going into winter. If the grass is tall, it may be more likely to be infected with diseases next spring.

Once you've done your last mowing of the season, don't forget about the mower. While battery powered mowers are gaining in popularity because they don't pollute as much as gas mowers, are quieter, less smelly, and lighter in weight, most home owners still use gas powered mowers. Before you just bury the mower in the corner of your garage or shed, there are some maintenance chores that should be done. Doing a little work now will ready the mower for next spring.

• Clean the Deck. Clean the underside of the mowing deck removing all old grass and leaves. Rotting organic matter left under the deck can lead to the metal rusting.
• Tune Up the Engine. Change the spark plugs, air filter, and any other warn parts.
• Sharpen the Blades. Sharpen the blades now. Sharp blades are critical to fast, easy, efficient grass cutting. Dull blades tear the grass sometimes leading to disease problems and a ragged looking lawn.
• Change the Oil. Change the oil now in your lawn mower so next spring you're mower will be ready to go.
• Drain the Gas. If you're storing your mower in a cold area, either add a gas additive to prevent water buildup, or drain the gas. Water in the gas line can prevent the engine from turning over in spring.
• Send it to the Shop. If you don't want to do any of these chores yourself, send your mower off to the maintenance shop this fall. Spring tends to be busy. Mower maintenance shops often have 1 to 2 week waits for mower repairs and tune ups. Beat the rush by sending your mower off now to be repaired and tuned up. 

-Charlie, Lawn & Garden

Bringing in the Pots

It's fall and the weather is turning colder. If you live where the ground freezes, you may spend a lot of time taking care of tender perennials, trees, and shrubs before winter's weather sets in. However, there are other pieces of the yard that need care, too. These include water hoses, fountains, pots, and trellises and benches. Let's take a look at each.

• Water hoses- If you live were the ground freezes in winter, then you need to care for your water hoses. Bring flexible soaker hoses and garden hoses indoors for the winter. Drain the water out of them first and hang them in a garage, shed, or basement. In-ground irrigation equipment should have the water drained from them as well. Check with your lawn service about caring for your irrigation pipes. Also, bring in hose nozzles, timers, sprinklers, and watering wands. They will last longer if stored indoors in winter.
• Fountains- Drain the water from fountains and remove the pumps. Fountains left outside in winter can crack if water is still inside them. Pumps are best stored indoors to avoid damaging the operating systems.
• Containers- Remove the potting soil and clean and store clay, ceramic, and plastic containers. Clay, plastic, and ceramic containers will crack in winter if left outdoors with soil in them. As the soil expands and contracts with the cold weather, it will break the pot. If your containers have trees, shrubs, or perennials in them, move these plants and pots into an unheated garage or shed and protect them from freezing temperatures. 
• Trellises and benches- While metal and wooden trellises and benches can survive the cold of winter, if they are portable, it's not a bad idea to move them into a protected area. Metal trellises won't rust as quickly and wooden trellises won't rot as soon, if protected in winter. If perennial vining plants are attached to the trellis, leave the trellis outdoors. In the process of removing the vine from the trellis, you may harm the plant. 

-Charlie, Lawn & Garden

Getting Ready to Force Bulbs

November is a great time of year to scour garden centers and nurseries looking for discount bulbs. Most stores have spring flowering bulbs, such as tulips, daffodils, crocus, and hyacinths on sale now, so it's easy to get some good deals. While most areas of country still can pop these in the ground for next spring, another fun activity is to get them ready to be forced into bloom this winter indoors. Forcing bulbs brings a touch of spring in February and March when most of the country is still fighting cold and snow storms. Here's how.

Forcing Bulbs

Fill a 10- to 12-inch diameter clay or plastic pot with moistened potting mix. Place a selection of bulbs in the pot, planting large bulbs, such as daffodils and hyacinths, about 6 inches deep and smaller bulbs, such as tulips and crocus, just 3 to 4 inches deep. Position the bulbs so that they almost touch each other. You can grow just one kind of bulb per pot, or mix up varieties and types.

Place the planted pots in a cool (32°F to 50°F), dark area for 12 to 16 weeks. A basement, unheated shed, or garage works best. This “resting” time in a cool, dark place convinces the bulbs they have experienced winter and they should be ready to start growing once they’re exposed to “sun” and “warmth.”

Check the bulbs in storage after about 3 months or when you notice shoots emerging and roots peeking through the drainage holes. Then bring the pots into a sunny, warm room. For the first week place them in a 55°F room to start growing. Keep them well watered. When bulb shoots are 2 inches tall, place them in a 68°F room. The bulbs should flower within one week.

If you don’t have room for storing potted bulbs in the house, place the loose bulbs in paper bags in the refrigerator crisper for 6 weeks. Then pot them up and store them in a 55°F room for one month before bringing them into a warmer, sunny room to bloom. The warmer the room, the faster the bulbs will come into flower. Cooler rooms (55°F to 60°F) tend to slow down flowering.

-Charlie, Lawn & Garden

Working with Rocks and Stones

Fall is a great time of year to work on the structure of your garden. One of the best pieces to add to your garden are stones and rocks. Whether it be a rock wall, stepping stones placed in a walkway, or large boulders to catch your eye or accent a view, rocks offer texture and a natural visual appeal.

The best stones to use would be native to your area. Look around at neighbor's yards and public gardens to see the types of stone available. While a dry stone wall outlining your perennial garden may be beautiful, it does require either lots of physical labor on your part or money to hire someone to build. However, you don't have to build a huge wall. If you have a source of stone, you can build 1- to 2-foot tall, small stone wall around low growing plants to add a backdrop without having to invest in a larger wall.

Strategically placing boulders in the yard gives your property a natural feeling as well as adds places to group plants. Mimic nature by growing small trees, shrubs, and low growing groundcovers around boulders giving the area a wild feeling. If you have kids, consider placing boulders where they can climb and play on them. It's fun to climb on rocks. Just don't plant prized plants nearby, since they may be trampled by frolicking youngsters.

If a wall or boulders just seem like too much work, simply gather flat stones to place as stepping stones in walkways and gardens. Not only do stepping stones make the walkway more interesting visually, they provide a place to walk during rainy stretches that might turn your walkway into a mudway!

-Charlie, Lawn & Garden

Getting the last bulbs in the ground

Every gardener has done this at least once. You go out and buy a bunch of spring flowering tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocus, and other bulbs in September, taking advantage of the great selection in garden centers. You go home and store the bulbs knowing that it's too early to plant in the ground yet. October rolls around and you get busy with out projects, people come to visit, you take a trip, or some other distractions happen, and you forget about those bulbs. Then November rolls around, and low and behold, look what you find when cleaning out the garage; the bulbs you purchased in September. Now what do you do? If you're in warmer areas of the country, you're lucky because November is a good time to plant spring flowering bulbs. Do so without any special precautions.

However, if you're in colder areas, you're late. Spring flowering bulbs need 4 to 6 weeks for the roots to get established before the ground freezes. Depending on where you are in the country, you may not have enough time. So, what to do? Plant anyway. Even if you find the bulbs in December, plant. The bulbs have a better chance of surviving in the ground than stored in your garage or house. In fact, if you tried to overwinter the bulbs indoors, they will dry up and die.

If you're planting outdoors after the ideal time, here are some tips.

• Plant a little deeper than normal so the bulbs will have a little extra time to get established before the frost reaches them.
• Add a layer of bark mulch to the planting. It will keep the soil warm longer, giving your bulbs more time to grow roots.
• Mix in some partially decomposed compost. As it finishes decomposing, it will give off heat to keep the soil warm longer.

Bulbs are tough plants. Even late planted bulbs usually survive the winter to flower well in spring.

-Charlie, Lawn & Garden

Taking Winter Cuttings

Every gardener has a few annual flowers they love so much they hate to see them die in fall with the cold. Whether it be a old heirloom geranium, a favorite colored fuchsia, or grandma's impatiens, it's great to try protect these plants by bringing them inside for winter. However, unless you have a greenhouse or a big sunny room, they will struggle to grow in winter under low light conditions and they will take up a lot of room. So how can you overwinter these personal favorites without having to move all the furniture to make room for them? The solution is to take cuttings.

Taking Cuttings
By rooting cuttings from your favorite plants you'll be making more plants for next year and not taking up much room holding them indoors all winter. Plus, they will grow slowly and not get as leggy as a mature plant trying to survive the winter indoors.

Take a 4- to 6-inch long shoot, cutting the stem right below a set of leaves. Remove all but the top set of leaves. Dip the bottom of the cuttings in a rooting hormone powder, such as Rootone. Stick the cutting in a plastic pot filled with moisten potting soil. Cover the cuttings and pot with a clear plastic bag that has  holes poked in it. The cuttings should stay moist, but not so wet that it rots. Usually the cutting will root in a few weeks. When you see signs of new growth or you can gently tug the cutting and it doesn't pop out, it's rooted. Remove the plastic and place the cutting in a sunny window. You can take many cuttings from the same plant. Once they are rooted and it's clear the cuttings will survive, toss the old plant.

-Charlie, Lawn & Garden

Hugelkultur Composting

Fall is a great time of year to gather leaves, grass clippings, tree prunings, dead annuals plants, and leafy tops from your perennial garden, and create a compost pile. But for those who don't want to bother with the building of the pile, covering it, keeping it just wet, but not too wet, and turning it, here's a simple in-garden composting technique to try. It's call mound composting or in German, hugelkultur.

This European idea is a simple way to use all that organic matter that's around in your yard in fall to create raised beds that will decompose over winter and be plantable in spring. Even if you use the traditional technique of piling old logs, cut up brush, and wood chips, amazingly enough, the raised bed still can be planted into vegetables in spring and thrive. Eventually the raised bed will decompose and flatten, but depending on how much and how thick your woody branches are, it may be elevated for years.

Here's how it works. Collect partially decomposed wood, brush trimmings, leaves, and old garden plants and create a 2- foot tall raised bed that's 4- to 8-feet long. Stomp down the woody materials to compact the pile, but don't bother cutting them into smaller pieces. Pile on a layer of leaves, grass clippings, or dead annual plants, then cover the raised bed with a 1- to 2-inch thick layer of soil. Apparently the woody materials hold water very well keeping the bed moist, yet don't use too much nitrogen in the decomposition process because they already are partially broken down. As they continue to break down the pile let's off heat warming the soil. It's important to use already rotting wood or small woody trimmings. Avoid rot resistant woods such as black locust, cedar, and hemlock.

Gardeners who have tried hugelkultur swear it works great for potatoes, melons, and squash, in particular. The plants love the moist, yet still aerated soil and outproduce similar plants grown in the ground. The best part is the bed will remain fertile for years as the woody materials break down. Give it a try this fall!

-Charlie, Lawn & Garden