Fall is the perfect time to tidy up the yard, prepare your plants for winter and plan for the next growing season, Evelyn Lay told the Dirt Diggers Garden Club at their Oct. 10 meeting at her home.
Dig up your summer bulbs that wont survive the winter. Dig after the frost and allow them to dry for about a week in a shady but well-ventilated site. Remove any excess soil. Bulbs should be packed away in peat moss or perlite, but dont let them touch. Dust with a fungicide before storage to prevent rot.
With established beds, you probably have plenty of phosphorus and potassium. Blood meal is a good addition. October is a good time to plant garlic.
Mums are radiant with fall color. Display them with pumpkins, gourds and corn stalks. The fall flowering mum is native to China and is actually a member of the sunflower plant family. There are two types of mums: garden and florist. Garden mums are hardy. Florist mums are more for ornamental purposes. Mums like full sun. They have shallow roots so dont plant next to trees and shrubs. Mulch in winter. Some say dont cut back the plant until spring, then fertilize. For new growth, pinch the ends of the stems every six inches until July.
Gourds date back to primitive cultures. Gourds have a way of captivating our imaginations with their funky shapes and potential for creative uses. A member of the squash family, they grow on trellises or draped over fences. You can clip off the growing tip of the main vine when it reaches 8 to 10 feet. The plant then directs its energy into the laterals, resulting in an earlier and bigger crop. A gourd is ready to be clipped off when the tendril next to its stem turns brown. Leave an inch or two of stem. Be careful not to pick it up by the stem or chop, bruise or nick it. Dry gourds make baskets, bird feeders, bird houses and all sorts of painted art and objects.
The Dirt Diggers also approved a donation of $25 from the club and $5 from each member to the food pantry for Thanksgiving.
Officers for 2019 are Dorothy McGhee, president; Shirley Robertson, vice president; Pat Howertown, secretary; Maxine Redfearn, treasurer.
The next meeting is at 2 p.m., Nov. 14 at Shirley Robertsons house.
