October 2006

Edible

• Prepare to avoid frost damage in the vegetable garden. Our first frosts usually occur around mid October in Chicago. It is often followed by a few weeks of good growing weather. Protect tender veggies like tomatoes and peppers with layers of newspapers, blankets, tarps, sheets or floating row covers. Remove the coverings soon after sunrise. Vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, kale, collards and turnips can withstand light frosts, and the frost will improve their flavor.

• Fall is a great time to have your soil tested. Soil testing labs are not as busy in the fall as they are in the spring. Call the lab ahead of time for information about cost and what types of tests they do. Be sure to take a representative soil sample of the area to be tested. Use a trowel and take small samples of soil form 8-12 different spots and place in a clean container. Mix the soil and remove about a pint of soil to send to the lab. Make sure the sample is dry. For a listing of soil testing labs, go to http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/soiltest/ or call 773-233-0476.

• Remove dead plants from the vegetable garden after frost. If plants were not diseased, they can be turned into the soil or placed in a compost pile. Leaving dead plants in the garden will provide a home for over wintering insects. Spread a 2 to 3 inch layer of organic matter over the garden and dig in. The garden will be ready for planting in the spring.

• Find that perfect Halloween pumpkin at a local pumpkin farm. Choose pumpkins without cracks or soft spots on the bottom or around the stem. Do not carry pumpkins by the stem. If the stem breaks, decay is sure to follow. For a listing of pumpkin farms, check out the University of Illinois Extension website at http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/pumpkins

• Become a Master Gardener. Classes start in January at Garfield Park Conservatory. Classes include botany, soils, woody ornamentals, vegetables, herbaceous plants, fruits, insects, turf, plant pathology, integrated pest management/pesticide safety, organic gardening and using herbs in the garden. Apply online at http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/county/survey.cfm?sID=50

Ornamental

Keep squirrels from digging up your bulbs. Dig up or till the area where you plan to plant the bulbs. Dig out an area big enough for at least 12-15 bulbs. Planting bulbs in masses gives a more spectacular effect in the spring. Tulips and daffodils should be planted 7-8 inches deep. Smaller bulbs like crocus should be planted 3 inches deep. Place the bulbs at their correct depth and cover the bulbs with at least half of the soil you removed. Cover the planted area with chicken wire and cover the chicken wire with the remaining soil. The wire will keep the squirrels from digging up the bulbs. The bulb foliage will grow through the holes.

Purchase large bulbs for more and larger flowers. Large bulbs will be more expensive. Do not buy bulbs that are shriveled or soft. Bulbs should be firm and plump.

After purchasing bulbs store them in a dry area at temperatures between 60 and 70 F. Plant bulbs a soon as possible. Planting while the soil is still warm will allow the development a good root system before freezing winter sets in. Don’t try to hold bulbs over the winter. Bulbs can be planted until the ground freezes. Roots will continue to grow as long as soil temperatures are above 40 F. Avoid planting bulbs under shade trees because bulbs need light in the spring to renew the bulb so it will produce flowers the next season. Scilla, crocus and snowdrops can be planted under trees. Next spring allow bulb foliage to turn yellow before cutting back.

Do not prune trees and shrubs. Delay pruning until next February or March. Pruning now may not allow the plant to harden off before cold weather sets in.

Perennials can be cut back as they start to decline. Cut plants back to the ground. You can delay cutting back the plants until next spring. Seed heads will provide food for birds throughout the winter. Plants will also trap snow which will help to insulate the plants from cold temperatures and will add some interest to the drab winter landscape.