Gardening And More

How to Compost As the leaves fall off your deciduous trees and shrubs with every slight breeze of the wind and gently fall to the ground that is our sign as gardeners that the fall season is here. Your deciduous leaves are an excellent choice to start composting the leaves. All the nutrients that you gave your plants during the year are harnessed in the leaves. By composting the leaves and other organic material you can make an excellent and inexpensive soil amendment, and avoid wasting natural resources. Composting is a natural form of recycling that continually occurs in nature. Studies have shown that by home composting you can divert an average of 700 pounds per household per year from the waste stream. Beginners may ask: Where do I start? How do I begin to compost? The answer is very simple. The apple, carrot, potatoes you just peeled for lunch or dinner that is organic material that you can compost. The coffee grounds used to make your coffee in the morning make an excellent...

January Gardening Calendar Bare Root Roses will be arriving soon at local garden centers. Prepare planting beds by digging an area 4 feet wide by 12 inches deep for each rose. Soak bare root roses in a mixture of SuperThrive and water for 24 to 48 hours before planting. For more information on Rose Care. Poinsettias water only when the soil is dry to the touch. Start fertilizing in March. Poinsettias need bright light and cool temperatures even indoors. Deciduous Trees and Shrubs the structure of the trees can be easily seen this time of year. Prune all branches that rub or cross each other. Trees and shrubs can be planted now. Plan to plant on a warm day when the ground is not frozen. When the weather warms for a week or longer, and then the temperatures drop into the twenties, cover Camellias and Gardenias nightly until the temperatures are above freezing. The last week in January prune Pear and Apple trees, and Grape vines. Vegetable Garden till the soil, if the gro...