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Monthly
November
Miscellaneous
- Insulate Cold Frames
To make sure you protect young plants from extreme winter cold, modern cold frames,
made of aluminium and glass, will benefit from having the gap between the glass
and aluminium sealed up with an insulating foam such as bubblewrap or other
suitable material.
- Be on the lookout for a new, American-grown, snack food and
baking ingredient. "Craisins" are sugared, dried cranberries.
They already are being sold to food manufacturers for cereals and
baked goods.
- If you are planning to lay newspapers as mulch in the spring,
glue them end to end this winter and store them as rolls. When
needed, the paper mulch unrolls easily and won't be lifted by the
wind before it can be anchored.
- Try using household rubber gloves with a cloth lining or
lightweight pair of gloves under them during cold, wet weather
for all but the roughest yard work. They don't absorb moisture,
and they insulate your fingers from the cold better than cloth
gloves, especially when it's wet out. But use caution to avoid
chilling your hands.
- Fill a cornucopia basket with seasonal produce and preserves
for a Thanksgiving centerpiece. If some of the produce is from
your orchard and garden, it's sure to bring gardening into the
conversation.
- As with all living things, plants have a life span and
eventually will need to be replaced.
- Cities with visitor attractions, such as coach rides and
horse-drawn wagons, usually have stables where city-dwelling
gardeners can obtain manure, free for the hauling.
- If a soil test shows the need for raising pH, apply dolomitic
limestone now so fall rain and winter snow can move it into the
soil.
- Check house gutters for fallen leaves, needles, and twigs.
Heavy, fall rains will quickly overflow clogged gutters, possibly
damaging foundation plants below them.
- Keep an eye out for spider mites on your houseplants; they
thrive in dry air. At the first sign of any insect infestation,
isolate your plant. Several thorough washings with plain water
may bring them under control. If not, apply an appropriate
insecticide -- follow the instructions on the label!
- Make a pretty wreath out of corn husks. Start with a foam
wreath base. Cut strips of corn husks three inches wide and eight
inches long. Fold them in half crosswise, and wire the ends
together. Fasten them to the foam base with thumbtacks,
overlapping the folded part of one husk and the wire of the next
and hiding the wires and tacks. If the base is narrow, one row of
husks will do. Use two or more rows for wider bases. Add a
colorful bow and trimmings of nuts, pine cones, or bittersweet to
complete the wreath.
- Check attic vents, building joints, and loose siding. Seal any
openings that would allow squirrels and mice to enter.
- The watt rating of a bulb or tube indicates the electric power
it consumes, not the light intensity it generates. A fluorescent
tube produces more lumens (a somewhat arbitrary measure of
visible light emitted) than an incandescent bulb of the same
wattage.
- Caulk and plug any entrances around the home used by wasps this
past summer.
- Keep the compost heap moist to aid in the decay process. Turn
the pile to mix in all late, fall additions. Add fertilizer
residues from nearly empty bags onto the pile and mix.
- Earthworms must remain below frost line to survive. Mulch piled
on top of soil raises the frost line. If you want earthworms to
help break down organic matter in the upper soil layers, mulch
deeply. If you need the subsoil aerated, leave the surface mulch
thin; the worms will burrow downward to stay warm.
- Store pesticides in a frost-free location away from food and
out of the reach of children. If a pesticide is in a paper
container, put the whole package in a plastic container and seal
it. Be sure that all bottles and cans are tightly sealed and well
labeled.
- Store liquid pesticides where temperatures will not fall below
40F. Too low a temperature may result in a breakdown of the
chemical. If the liquid should freeze, there is the danger of the
glass container breaking and scattering the chemical in the
storage area.
- Set up an aquarium to display beautiful water plants and fish.
Search pet shops for interesting varieties, or try introducing
water-loving houseplants, such as Nephthytus. For healthier
plants and possible flower production, allow plants to grow out
of the water and trail over the sides of the aquarium.
- Order seed catalogs now for garden planning in January. For
variety, consider companies that specialize in old and rare
varieties or wildflowers.
- In the northern part of the state, the gypsy moth can be found
in the egg stage from now until April. Look for tan, fuzzy
patches that look like a piece of camel-hair coat, 1 inch long
and 1/2 inch wide, attached to trees, rocks, fences, lawn
furniture, wood piles, and buildings. If you find any, scrape
them off and kill them in a jar of alcohol or bleach. To confirm
identification of the gypsy moth, bring samples of the egg mass
to your local Extension service.
- Bring out the bird feeders, and stock them with treats for the
birds. Remember to provide fresh water for your feathered friends.
"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy;
they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."
-- Marcel Proust
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