October Garden Tips & Chores

Autumn is in full swing, which means it's time to take advantage of the lovely days to take care of the lawn and garden.

Lawns, shrubs and perennials still need about an inch of rain a week. Rain gauges can be bought very cheaply. I found one for a dollar, but you can also make your own to measure the rain in your area. We've been getting enough rain where I am located, but I know some of you may be in areas where you aren't, so be sure to water if you receive less than an inch.

It's that time of year to dig up summer bulbs such as gladioli, dahlias, tuberous begonias, caladiums and cannas. I have an article on OFL with more information on storage: http://oldfashionedliving.com/corms.html

I've gotten lucky with glads for two years now and they've come back on their own. They are in a bed with mulch but no extra protection. I'm in Zone 5 so this has been a cool surprise. It doesn't hurt to give it a try if you don't have time to dig them up this year.

Garlic can be planted this month before the ground freezes. Plant it in full sun where the soil has been worked up deeply and it's fertile but not soggy. Organic matter such as leaf mold will give the garlic an extra boost. Separate the cloves from a head of garlic, then plant them 3 inches deep and 5-6 inches apart. The cloves should be planted with the pointed tips up. Cover and gently pat the soil over the cloves.

If time allows, fall is a great time to prepare garden and flower beds for next year. Remove annuals and vegetables from the beds as they finish blooming or harvesting is finished. Spread compost over the top of beds, even if it hasn't broken down all the way. This will help fertilize the bed over the winter.

Weeds can quickly take over especially with a few good rains, and warm temperatures. Take advantage of the cool fall days to pull weeds that have gotten out of control. This will cut back on the weeding that needs to be done in the spring and early summer.

October is one of my favorite months because of the colors, the fresh cool air, the fall blooms and the fragrance of autumn. I hope you're enjoying your fall days.

~Brenda

October Garden Tips

I cannot endure to waste anything as precious as autumn sunshine by staying in the house. So I spend almost all the daylight hours in the open air. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

We are almost to October believe it or not. Autumn officially arrived last week, though in California I hear it feels like the middle of summer with the heat wave they are going through right now. Here in Michigan we are back to cool mornings and nights down into the 40's already. It's time to start preparing for cold weather while the days are cool and sunny.

Once the frost starts damaging annuals, or they simply aren't looking nice any longer, pull up the plants and put them in the compost pile IF they are healthy and without mildew or other disease. There are some exceptions: if you want the plant to reseed where you have it now, then leave on the seed heads and allow them to dry and scatter. I do this with morning glories, calendula and nasturtiums. Some annuals have seeds that birds enjoy and those can be left too.

Do clean up any plants, leaves, fruit, vegetables or debris that looks diseased. Do not compost, but bag it up and dispose or burn if you are allowed to do so where you live. Some diseases and pests can survive the winter if left on the ground throughout the winter.

If you have small ponds or water features with plants, you can trim the leaves off once they turn yellow. It's better to remove fallen tree leaves from the water as they gather there instead of waiting until spring. These can be composted also.

Reminder: I know I've nagged about this, but remember to pull up your nonhardy bulbs once the foliage has died back or after a light frost. This includes: tuberous begonias, caladiums, cannas, dahlias, gladioli, and tuberoses. Gently wipe away the dirt with a rag and store them in peat, sawdust or even shredded newspaper in a dry cool area that doesn't get colder than about 60 degrees throughout the winter.

Lastly, clean your tools before winter after you've finished your fall chores. Wash them with soapy, hot water and dry off with a rag. Sharpen any that need it and rub wood handles with mineral oil before putting them away.

Enjoy these lovely fall days. ~Brenda

Autumn Butters

Autumn butters add country charm to company dinners or brunches. They also are the perfect hostess gift presented with a loaf of fresh homemade bread. Add the following recipes to your list of autumn traditions!

Honey Pumpkin Butter

2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt -- optional

Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a large saucepan. Simmer uncovered on low heat about 40 minutes, stirring frequently, until thick. When thick enough ladle into jars and refrigerate. Makes 1 1/2 cups.


Easy Autumn Butter

1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 cup softened butter

Beat the brown sugar, pumpkin-pie spice whipping into the softened butter. Keep refrigerated.


Crockpot Apple Butter

8 cups applesauce
4 cups sugar
4 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons allspice
2 teaspoons nutmeg
2 teaspoons cloves

Stir all ingredients together well in a large bowl. Transfer to a crockpot and cook, UNCOVERED, on high for 6 to 7 hours. It isn't necessary to stir it. Cool and place into containers. Keep refrigerated or may be frozen.


Ginger Apple Butter

4 pounds McIntosh apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1" chunks
1 1/2 cups apple cider
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons crystallized ginger, minced

Bring the apples, cider, brown sugar and lemon juice to a boil in a saucepan, stirring. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until apples fall apart, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Purée in food processor or blender in batches with the minced ginger. Return to pan.

Partially cover apple butter and simmer over medium heat until reduced to 2 1/2 cups, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Cool completely. Makes 2 1/2 cups. Transfer to covered containers and store in refrigerator for up to one week for best freshness.

Wordless Wednesday: Fun in the Leaves

Cool Weather Garden Tips

So dull and dark are the November days. The lazy mist high up the evening curled, and now the morn quite hides in smoke and haze; the place we occupy seems all the world. ~John Clare

I'm hoping for some sunny days this week to do last minute fall garden chores, so I thought I would share some of the things we can do for our landscape this time of year.

Chrysanthemums should be cut back fairly close to the ground once they have stopped blooming and the cuttings can be added to your compost pile. If you have potted mums that you purchased, remove the plant and add to the garden, giving it a hole a little bit bigger than the pot was. After planting, cut as mentioned, water and mulch.

If your peonies, roses or hollyhocks developed diseases such as rust, blight, or anything similar, remove the leaves or branches that were effected and burn them or dispose of them in your waste bin-- don't compost. Do the same things with other plants and trees too. Check your phlox, beebalm (mildew can effect it), dogwoods and lilac. You don't want to prune your spring blooming trees or shrubs, JUST remove the diseased parts.

This is also the time you'll want to empty out all your outdoor planters, baskets, clay pots and window boxes. Empty the soil into the compost pile and wash the containers with soap and a weak bleach solution before putting into storage where they will stay dry and not freeze. You'll be way ahead in the spring!

Water all of your evergreens deeply one last time before a major freeze. This will help them throughout the winter season.

We all know mulching is great to keep moisture in during the hot months, but it also offers protection during the winter. However, it's really best to wait until the ground starts to freeze but before the blizzards hit. I know-- it's a much colder chore doing it this way, but if you do it too soon you may be making a nice cozy place for mice and other critters to hang out. Mulch can be free organic matter like pine needles, straw, chopped leaves or bark chips/shreds.

If you have planted trees this year you may have been given advice on wrapping the trunks with a paper tree wrap, but it's been found to actually injure trees in many cases. If you do decide to wrap the young trees trunks do it ONLY in the winter and remove it in the spring. You can protect the tree trunks from rodent damage by using plastic guards or mesh wire. It can be from 12 inches to 2 foot tall. If you have very deep snow in the winter you may want to go taller than that. Remove before the tree grows too wide. Also, make sure there is no debris around the tree trunks.

A few notes for warm climates:

Some of you are entering a cooler season but won't have the cold winter many of us do. You can plant bedding plants now such as snapdragons, calendula, ornamental kale or cabbage, and dianthus. Some wildflowers can even be direct seeded now: bluebonnets, rudbeckia, pansies, calendula, candytuft, foxgloves, snapdragons, stock, and sweet alyssum. Calendula is a wonderful cool weather plant and is easily direct seeded!

In locations like Southern Florida vegetables can be grown now such as tomato, endive, escarole, snap beans, potato, peppers, peas, lima bean, collard greens, parsley, celery, turnip, mustard, onions, spinach, lettuce, radish, cabbage, beet, carrot, cauliflower, and broccoli.

One note for warm climate gardeners on bulbs. If you are in Zone 8 or up you will need to chill your spring bulbs before planting. It's usually 10-12 weeks of chilling in the refrigerator.

We have mulching tips from an excerpt on OFL:
http://www.oldfashionedliving.com/mulching.html

~Brenda

Fall Activities for the Entire Family

Between Halloween and Thanksgiving is a perfect time to try a few nature crafts with the kids. The great thing about the crafts below is they are fun for teens, as well as smaller kids, and adults. It's easy to get wrapped up in the holiday rush as it gets closer to Thanksgiving and Christmas. I think spending a few cold, rainy days making art is a good way to get away from the crowds, the video games and the television.

Make leaf rubbings. You'll need fresh, moist tree leaves or other plant leaves, a hammer, and pieces of cotton muslin. Lay one muslin down on a piece of paper, taping it down around the edges with masking tape. Place the leaf down on top of the piece of muslin, and lay a thin piece of paper over top of it (scrap will do). Pound the leaf with the hammer evenly over the entire leaf. This will transfer the leaf shape and color to the piece of muslin, so make sure to pound it all. Afterwards, you can glue the muslin to a piece of cardboard-framing it with a colorful mat if you wish.

Have the kids gather leaves, and make a big collage on a piece of poster or foam board. This won't be a "keeper" art project, but they will have a great time collecting, being creative with their design and gluing the leaves in place. Hang it up or display the collage for the season, and be sure to take a picture of it for them too. Slip in learning fun by having them identify each leaf and place the tree names in their collage.

Pumpkin or squash seeds are so light in color that they can be dried and painted to use for art. Air dry, or spread them on a cookie sheet to slowly dry in the oven. Don't use oil or anything else on the seeds. Once they are dried, and cooled divide the seeds into groups, depending on how many you have. Example: ten of each color, using browns, blues, reds etc. You can also water down paint if you want them to be softer colors. Let the seeds dry completely. Use them to create pictures, collages, mosaics or anything else that strikes your fancy.

I still have art that my kids made when they were small. I love to get it out and put it up during the fall. Of course I'm also a pack rat:)

~Brenda

Wordless Wednesday: More Fall Photos

I realize this is "wordless" Wednesday, but I wanted to make sure I gave credit for the photo on this post. It was sent to me from Tinker Swiss Cottage in Rockford, IL. Thanks for the lovely shot!

The other three photos are ones I took around town here.

Wordless Wednesday: Fall Pictures off my deck in southern WI

Garden Chores Before the Snow Flies

Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. ~John Muir

Today I have a hodge podge of garden and landscape tips for this time of year. I know some of you have had snow already! We haven't had snow but it was 25 degrees F. Sunday morning. Brrrr...

You can mulch and protect your perennials from harsh winters and the wildlife. After you get a few hard frosts you can add a one inch layer of straw, hay or chopped leaves. This will give the plants a little extra protection. If you've noticed little chew marks on your shrubs or perennials that don't die all the way down after frost, you may want to put a circle of chicken wire around them for the winter. Once you buy the wire you can store it til the next winter when you remove it in the spring. It will keep the rabbits and other wildlife from chewing the bark or stems. This is especially good for newer shrubs or trees that haven't completely established yet.

It's very important to remove any diseased plants and either burn or discard them before winter. The same goes for fallen fruit. You don't want to let it set all winter where the organisms could stay alive til next spring and cause problems.

Did you grow dahlias this year? They have "tubers" sort of like day lilies, but they won't survive heavy frosts. When the frost damages/browns their leaves, cut off the stems 5-6 inches above the tubers/roots. Dig up the clumps, very gently remove from the dirt and rinse them off with water. Allow them to dry outside in a sheltered place (no sun or harsh wind) just until they are dried. Store the clumps whole in a basement or attached garage where it doesn't get below freezing (35 degrees F. or so). You can place them in paper bags, boxes or tubs filled with peat moss or sawdust. If you are using a plastic tub make sure it's not so tight that air can't get in.

If you have had a Christmas cactus for any length of time, you know how hard it is to encourage blooms. Well, unless you are my mom who has the magic touch. The plants will need about 13 hours of darkness in each 24 hour period, and a temperature of about 50-60 degrees F. If you have tips that have worked for you let us know!

We have tips on growing Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus on OFL:
http://oldfashionedliving.com/holidays/cactus.html

Preparing Our Landscape for Winter

A few days ago I walked along the edge of the lake and was treated to the crunch and rustle of leaves with each step I made. The acoustics of this season are different and all sounds, no matter how hushed, are as crisp as autumn air. ~Eric Sloane

Today I have a few more tips for preparing our garden and landscape as winter approaches.

-If you are transplanting or planting new lilies, (all varieties) try adding peat to the soil before planting. This will help the soil, and the lilies.

-If you have any ponds or water features with water plants now is a good time to thin them out if they have become crowded. Also, clean out any leaves or other debris and cover the pond with a net or mesh outdoor fabric to keep it clean until spring.

-You can plant rhubarb in October and clean up any existing patches that you have already. As with other perennials you want to clean up dead foliage, leaves and other debris around the plants to avoid anything damp/wet from laying against the crowns/centers of the rhubarb plants. If your plants have become very large you can also divide them. Mulch the rhubarb with compost.

Are you getting the urge to "clean" your houseplants? Don't use those commercial leaf shine products, just use a damp, clean cotton rag to gently wipe the leaves of your house plants. If you find they are quite dirty you can add a teeny bit of dish soap like Ivory to your water, then dip in the rag and wipe the leaves. As a preventive measure, buy a small spray bottle, fill it with water and spray your plants on a regular basis!

On OFL we have tips on preparing your roses for winter:
http://www.oldfashionedliving.com/rosecare.html

Fall Garden Tips and Chores

The leaves fall, the wind blows, and the farm country slowly changes from the summer cottons into its winter wools. ~Henry Beston

Fall is a great time to plant perennials, but make sure the soil temps are above 40 degrees in your area. Once the soil is colder than this on a regular basis the roots will stop growing. Planting now does give them a head start though. You can find some really great bargains out there right now!

Dividing and cutting back-- Hosta flower stalks can be cut back when they are finished blooming. The leaves can be cut back anytime before a heavy frost--after the frost they become mushy. If you prefer to leave them be or run out of time, you can just rake up anything left in the spring. I also transplant mine in the spring and divide them if needed.

Butterfly bushes should be cut back in November before the snow is heavy. In colder zones like ours cut it back to 2 or 3 foot and warmer climates can cut back to a foot or so. Mulching it with straw, hay or grass clippings is good too. Transplant it if necessary in the spring.

Black-eyed Susans: I leave the seeds for the birds, plus they reseed which is fine with me. If you want to cut them back you can do it after the blooms are finished. I also transplant in the spring and very early in the summer and they do well. If you want to reseed them elsewhere in the landscape, just grab a few dried seed heads and sow in the new location, covering lightly with soil.

On OFL we have tips on growing Lords and Ladies this fall for spring bloom:
http://www.oldfashionedliving.com/arum.html

~Brenda

Paint Stick Scarecrow

Last year we did some painting in our house, so we had plenty of paint stir sticks leftover. Crafty girl that I am ;) I am always looking for ways to turn items like this into something cute. I used one of those extra paint sticks and a bunch of fabric scraps to make this adorable scarecrow. He's definitely one of my favorites. I still have this cute scarecrow, though he's pretty faded now since I left his outside in a potted plant all summer. I guess I'll have to make some more. ;) I want to thank FamilyCorner.com, the site I originally made this for, for granting permission to reprint this here for you. Hope you like it!

Paint Stick Scarecrow
by Amanda Formaro

This adorable scarecrow makes a great decoration for your kitchen, garden, porch, or just about anywhere you want to "stick" him! Use scraps of material and inexpensive felt to put this cutie together.

What you need
paint stir stick
acrylic paint: tan or sunflower, pink, orange, white and black
paint brush
toothpick
fine tip black marker
felt: red, tan, brown, gold
scrap of old blue jeans (approx 8" x 10")
bandana or other patterned material (we used boxer shorts!)
*buttons: 3 orange, 1 each green, purple, navy blue
American moss or raffia
12" piece of green raffia
hot glue gun
pattern
*You can use any color buttons, or fabrics for that matter, that you like. We have listed the colors we used. Feel free to personalize this project any way you like.

What you do

Prep
Paint the top 5 inches of the paint stick with tan or sunflower acrylic paint. Set aside to dry.

Lay sheet of red felt on work surface and fold in half (greeting card style). Lay the shirt pattern on top of the felt so that the shoulders and neck area line up with the fold. Trace the pattern then cut out, keeping the felt folded. Be sure to cut the neck hole out as well.

Repeat the above process with the tan felt, laying the hat pattern so that the top of the hat lies along the fold, cut out.

Cut out a thin strip of brown felt, about 4 inches long, long enough to wrap around the hat (band).

Cut out a flower from the gold felt.

Place denim jean material on work surface and fold in half. Trace the pants pattern onto the denim and cut out. It is not necessary to line this up along the fold as with the shirt.

Cut out two long strips from the denim, about 1 inch wide and 6 inches long each. These will be the cuffs of the pants. Lay the strips right (dark) side facing up, and run hot glue along the top edge. Fold over to adhere and repeat with the other side, making a folded cuff strip. Set aside.

Cut 7 small squares out of the denim jeans for patches and set aside.

Cut out a scrap of bandana, boxer shorts, or other patterned material about 5" square. Set aside.

Assemble
With shirt still folded; insert the stir stick, painted end at the top, into the neck hole of the shirt. The neck hole of the shirt should cover about an inch or so of the paint. Use hot glue to tack the shirt to the stick just at the neck hole, front and back. DO NOT glue the rest of the shirt yet, you still need to insert moss in the arm holes.

Take one of the pieces of denim pants and place it over the top of the stir stick, positioned just underneath the bottom of the shirt. When you have it where you want it, tack it in place with hot glue. Take the other piece of denim pants and place it on the other side of the paint stick, lining it up with the one in front. Tack in place with glue. As with the shirt, DO NOT glue the bottom of the pants together or add the cuffs, you still need to insert moss.

Gather some American moss in your fingers like a bouquet, trim the ends. Hot glue some moss into the arms of the shirt and into the opening of the pant legs. You also need to glue some moss to the top of the paint stick for the hair. Trim if needed.

Glue the shirt together now that the moss is inserted. Glue the pants together as well. Glue "cuff" in place on the bottom of the pants, glue seams into the back and trim where needed.

Place folded top of hat at the top of the stir stick and fold into place. Position over the moss, there should be enough room for the scarecrow's face, about 2". Glue hat together.

Embellishments
Glue thin strip of brown fat onto hat as the band, glue seams at the back and trim if needed. Glue flower to the left side of the hat, covering the band and part of the brim. Hot glue a navy blue button to the center of the flower.

Fold bandana square in half and roll the long end a few times. Tie around scarecrow's neck to cover up neck hole. Hot glue in place.

Glue 3 orange buttons down the center of the shirt. Glue four denim patches on the shirt as noted in photo or anywhere you please.

Tie green raffia around the belt area of the pants, trim the ends and tack with hot glue.

Glue denim patches, wrong side up, to the pants as noted in photo. Glue a purple and a green button on top of two of the patches.

Use the handle end of a paint brush dipped in white paint to dot on whites of eyes. Use a toothpick dipped into black paint to dot on eyes. Use toothpick dipped in orange paint to draw on a triangle nose. Dip a paintbrush into pink paint, dab off excess and carefully dot on cheeks. Use black fine tip marker to add eyebrows and a moth, adding a few stitches to the mouth.

All done!

FamilyCorner.com has a printable version if you like.

August Garden Chores: Composting

Giving is a joy if we do it in the right spirit. It all depends on whether we think of it as "What can I spare? " or as "What can I share? "~Esther Baldwin York

Fall is around the corner, and it's time to start thinking about our yard and garden chores. Today I wanted to go over some composting tips. I know that most of us can't afford fancy tumblers and just want to compost in the simplest manner possible. Late summer is the perfect time to start a compost pile. It can be a loose pile, or you can use cheap fencing or scrap wood and make a 3 sided simple structure with the front open.

During the late summer and fall you will have an abundance of compost materials including leaves, grass clippings, straw, hay, vegetables, annuals and perennials that you've cut back. The key to using all of these materials is keeping the size small and using healthy clippings, nothing diseased. You should also avoid black walnut leaves, eucalyptus, poison oak, poison ivy and sumac.

You don't need an expensive chopper or shredder--use your lawn mower to go over the materials. Spread them on the ground and mow a few times til they are smaller. Do this with leaves and pine needles, plant clippings etc. Grass clippings may get rather ugly if they are placed in deep piles, so spread them out on a sunny day to dry out.

You also want to prepare your household refuse for the compost pile. It's not a big deal once you get used to doing it! Crush the egg shells, and cut up anything big like watermelon rinds into smaller pieces. Throw them in a bucket and add to the compost pile every few days. You can also add shredded or cut-up newspaper (no shiny ads) and cardboard. You don't want to add TOO much of either, but a couple buckets is fine. This also applies to wood ashes from your fire pit or fireplace.

Gardeners who work with their compost a lot will see results MUCH faster-- digging the pile-- making sure it has the correct amounts of materials etc. But, when you have kids, busy schedules, and too much going on it's not so easy. You can STILL have compost, it just takes longer! Start your pile-- get it ready on a nice cool weekend. Prepare everything as mentioned and even if you don't get to mix it up until spring it will eventually become compost!

On OFL we tips on a few fall garden chores you may want to think about:
http://www.oldfashionedliving.com/autumn-chores.html

~Brenda

The Witcheries of Halloween

The sweet calm sunshine of October, now
Warms the low spot; upon its grassy mold
The purple oak-leaf falls; the birchen bough
drops its bright spoil like arrow-heads of gold.
~William Cullen Bryant

The Modern Priscilla Magazine from October 1950 shared an article by Marion Harris Neil. She starts by going over deep-rooted superstitions that had gotten out of hand in times past, but now "Halloween assumed more the characteristics of a merrymaking festival". She advises that we only invite guests whom we are on "the terms of intimacy" with, so we won't be limited by restraints and will be able to have genuine fun and enjoyment. The article is very long, so I'm picking a few of the tips to share here. The language of the article tickles me more than anything.

Have your menu cards odd to suit this occasion, if you use them at all, and they should portray pictures of witches on broomsticks, owls, black kittens, or brownies (which are creatures from Scottish folklore- a little like gnomes. )

Decorations should be in autumn colors, mainly yellow and brown, with perhaps a little green thrown in the background. Jack-o-lantern faces should peer out of unexpected corners, and ears of dried corn, together with branches of red and brown leaves, should be suspended from the chandelier in the supper room. Use pumpkin shells for your jardinieres (*these are traditionally ceramics flower pot holders.).

There is no better place for the merrymaking than a barn. It may be decorated to your own wishes. Decorations may be elaborate and artistic, or they may be weird, and still the possibilities are all the greater when you can feel your gaiety may have its vent and do no damage to the pretty furnishings of a home.

I have more tips and recipes from this article on OFL:
http://www.oldfashionedliving.com/halloween.html