Comments on: my october garden chores http://awaytogarden.com/my-october-garden-chores Gardening information and inspiration from Margaret Roach Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:49:16 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Margaret http://awaytogarden.com/my-october-garden-chores/comment-page-1#comment-11850 Margaret Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:02:05 +0000 http://awaytogarden.com/?p=6455#comment-11850 Welcome, Gary, and thank you for sharing the link to Ample Harvest so that others can share their extra bounty. Welcome, Gary, and thank you for sharing the link to Ample Harvest so that others can share their extra bounty.

]]> By: Gary http://awaytogarden.com/my-october-garden-chores/comment-page-1#comment-11842 Gary Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:46:52 +0000 http://awaytogarden.com/?p=6455#comment-11842 Your readers with late season herb and vegetable gardens may well find that they will grow more than they can use, preserve or give to friends. They may want to visit www.AmpleHarvest.org - a site that helps diminish hunger by enabling backyard gardeners to share their crops with neighborhood food pantries. The site is free both for the food pantries and the gardeners using it. More than 945 food pantries nationwide are already on it and more are signing up daily. It includes preferred delivery times, driving instructions to the pantry as well as (in many cases) information about store bought items also needed by the pantry (for after the growing season). AmpleHarvest.org enables people to help their community by reaching into their back yard instead of their back pocket. Lastly, if your reader's community has a food pantry, they should make sure the pantry registers on www.AmpleHarvest.org. Its free. Your readers with late season herb and vegetable gardens may well find that they will grow more than they can use, preserve or give to friends.

They may want to visit http://www.AmpleHarvest.org – a site that helps diminish hunger by enabling backyard gardeners to share their crops with neighborhood food pantries.

The site is free both for the food pantries and the gardeners using it.

More than 945 food pantries nationwide are already on it and more are signing up daily.

It includes preferred delivery times, driving instructions to the pantry as well as (in many cases) information about store bought items also needed by the pantry (for after the growing season).

AmpleHarvest.org enables people to help their community by reaching into their back yard instead of their back pocket.

Lastly, if your reader’s community has a food pantry, they should make sure the pantry registers on http://www.AmpleHarvest.org. Its free.

]]> By: Margaret http://awaytogarden.com/my-october-garden-chores/comment-page-1#comment-11841 Margaret Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:42:56 +0000 http://awaytogarden.com/?p=6455#comment-11841 @Mary Jane: I'd cut them all to the ground and remove all the debris, raking up well and so on. @Liz: I sometimes rub off the brown needles where it's unsightly, just using my hand (such as on a shrub in a prominent spot), but I'd be careful with pruning. Check carefully to see if it's really the twigs that are dead, or did they just lose those older, inner needles? Sometimes it's a mix of both; some dead wood (which you can cut off anytime it occurs) and mostly just the natural shedding of old foliage. As for hellebores, I moved some earlier in September and would still plant ones from nursery pots, but might not dig up any of my old, big plants this late to start dividing. @Another Margaret: The leaves will amount to very little once you shred them with the mower, so I'd make a huge pile near a site where you can compost them awhile after shredding. They will probably blow away if shredded and used right away as mulch. I'd use the cardboard on the new areas, and then a nice mulch like composted shredded bark or stable bedding that's been aged (ask at your local nursery what composted, medium- to fine-textured mulch they have). @Mary Jane: I’d cut them all to the ground and remove all the debris, raking up well and so on.

@Liz: I sometimes rub off the brown needles where it’s unsightly, just using my hand (such as on a shrub in a prominent spot), but I’d be careful with pruning. Check carefully to see if it’s really the twigs that are dead, or did they just lose those older, inner needles? Sometimes it’s a mix of both; some dead wood (which you can cut off anytime it occurs) and mostly just the natural shedding of old foliage. As for hellebores, I moved some earlier in September and would still plant ones from nursery pots, but might not dig up any of my old, big plants this late to start dividing.

@Another Margaret: The leaves will amount to very little once you shred them with the mower, so I’d make a huge pile near a site where you can compost them awhile after shredding. They will probably blow away if shredded and used right away as mulch. I’d use the cardboard on the new areas, and then a nice mulch like composted shredded bark or stable bedding that’s been aged (ask at your local nursery what composted, medium- to fine-textured mulch they have).

]]> By: Willi http://awaytogarden.com/my-october-garden-chores/comment-page-1#comment-11838 Willi Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:27:13 +0000 http://awaytogarden.com/?p=6455#comment-11838 Such a good idea to get a seed bed ready for spring sown spinach. That way you don't have to worry about working the soggy spring soil! I'm totally going to do that this weekend. Such a good idea to get a seed bed ready for spring sown spinach. That way you don’t have to worry about working the soggy spring soil! I’m totally going to do that this weekend.

]]> By: Another Margaret http://awaytogarden.com/my-october-garden-chores/comment-page-1#comment-11837 Another Margaret Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:24:14 +0000 http://awaytogarden.com/?p=6455#comment-11837 Hi, Thanks for these reminders! In terms of leaf disposal, I want to start a new bed along a fence, using your cardboard method (it's grass/weeds now). Would it make sense to rake all the leaves to along the fence and then mow over them to promote decomposition, and then lay cardboard over them? And then would I need to put something like mulch over the cardboard? Or should I put the cardboard down then the leaves over them? What's the best way to do this? Thanks so much, Another Margaret Hi,
Thanks for these reminders! In terms of leaf disposal, I want to start a new bed along a fence, using your cardboard method (it’s grass/weeds now). Would it make sense to rake all the leaves to along the fence and then mow over them to promote decomposition, and then lay cardboard over them? And then would I need to put something like mulch over the cardboard? Or should I put the cardboard down then the leaves over them? What’s the best way to do this?

Thanks so much,
Another Margaret

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