Gardening

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Category: Fall gardening

Clean up gardening tools at end of season

The gardening season is essentially over and I'm a little behind in the cleanup as it seems as though we are trying to skip fall and go right into winter here in Michigan. Although we could have a Indian summer anytime now, forecasters are predicting snow in parts of Michigan next week. Brr.

It will come spring again, (I keep telling myself) and I want to be prepared to go out there and start digging. The garden tools I use - hoe, shovels, the handheld little garden tools - all need cleaning before they get stored. So I got busy and started by cleaning off the dirt - believe me there was lots of it. Then I used a scouring pad to help get rid of the rust.

I read on the Web site Wiki how about using tea to help get rid of the rust the scouring pad won't take off. I tried it and found it a good way to clean green. Between the scoring pad and tea my clippers look like new.

I heard about another way of cleaning the tools that I will try out next year: Have a bucket with sand mixed with a bit of motor oil and just punch your tool down in the sand a few times to clean and oil the tool at the same time.

Bat put a sharper edge on my hoes for the garden back in the summer. Now all I need is to make a quick trip to the store for some lubricating oil to spray on them to help prevent any more rust.

You can catch up with my garden at Gardening in Lower MI.

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Category: Fall gardening

Great bargains in plant prices and wise plant energy use

It's a great time to grab those bargains at the nursery, whether it's plant material or a much-needed new trowel. Nurseries prefer to sell as many plants as possible so they do not need to move them into protected areas or care for them in any way during the winter.

Now is the best time to plant or transplant ornamental trees and shrubs. Because plants are beginning to send all their food resources to their roots at this time of the year, they are not using their energy on pushing forth leaves and flowers. With their roots as the focus of the activity, they are strengthening existing roots and establishing new roots for next season. Additionally, the plants have a great deal of time before the ground freezes (usually around Christmas time) at the beginning of winter and when it starts to thaw in late winter to work on establishing healthy new roots. The ground starts to thaw sometimes toward the beginning of the year as well. Whenever the ground is not frozen, the roots continue to develop and grow.