This holiday week (for those of us in the US) think twice before disposing of waste before and after your event. You could be saving yourself some work in the garden come springtime if you start thinking ahead and start composting now!
You dont need a fancy gadget or special container to start composting just a space you can cover and maintain warmth and moisture with plenty of worms to start creating the best fertilizer for your spring plants. And what space would be better than your most-likely empty raised garden bed?
Even if you live in colder climates, you can utilize your already-constructed raised garden bed to begin a compost pile to use in the spring.
Ask the Master Gardeners
Q: Im told I have voles. What do I need to know about them?
A: Both meadow voles and pine voles can be found in the eastern and northern parts of the United States. Meadow voles spend much of their time above ground and are noticed by their droppings and the litter from the vegetation in which they live. If they find an existing burrow they may live underground as well.
Pine voles prefer open spaces such as orchards and they spend the majority of their time underground in burrows, which can have an extensive connecting system. More than one adult can occupy a burrow.
Meadow voles are larger than pine voles and have a longer tail. Both resemble large mice. They are stocky with short legs and a compact sturdy body. Meadow voles have large eyes and ears while pine voles have small eyes and inconspicuous ears.
All photos in this post by of COZY.
Gorgeous fuschia bouganvillea in my garden! Read full post…
Slugs can be very destructive pests in your garden.
Slugs and snails can be quite damaging to both ornamental and edible plants. Here’s what you need to know to keep slugs and snails under control in your garden.
Slugs and snails are one of the most difficult garden pests to control. Because they’re hermaphrodites (both male and female), they can all lay dozens of eggs up to six times a year.
Extensive slug damage to hosta plant.
Slugs are active from spring through fall, then hibernate over the winter. To identify a slug or snail problem in your garden, look for:
Perennials: Evaluate the gardens with an eye for improvements. There is still time to fill in bare or lackluster areas with fall mums, sedum or Japanese anemone. Bulb orders should be in the mail, but there is still time to purchase a variety of bulbs from your local nursery. Cut back ragged looking perennials and those that have mildew or that the slugs have disfigured. Begin dividing phlox and day lilies. Continue weeding to prevent seed formation.
Flowers: Collect and save seeds for next years garden. Cleome and nigella bear seeds in capsules that are ready to harvest when the capsules turn brown and begin to split. Dry the capsules in a brown paper bag, label and keep in a cool dry place until next spring. Pull up spent annuals and add them to the compost pile.
Vegetables and fruits: Continue harvesting cucumber, eggplant and peppers as they ripen.
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