Don’t compost dairy products, meat, fat or grease, cooked foods with sauces, bones, mature weed seeds, diseased plants, weeds that spread by roots and runners, vines or whole branches. If you haven’t started your compost pile yet, begin with a layer of corn stalks or wood chips. Either one will help provide air to the pile which will help aid in the decomposition of materials.
Wash containers that held annuals and herbs with a solution of 1 part household bleach and 9 parts water. Wooden containers will need an application of linseed oil to help preserve them.
When preparing potatoes, choose herbs such as basil, chives, dill, fennel, oregano, rosemary, sage and thyme to make them the most flavorful!
Autumn is a great time to begin a compost pile if you don’t already have one. Simply piling up leaves and organic debris in an out-of-the-way location in your yard is a good start! Turn the pile beginning next spring once a month to speed up the decomposition of material. Incorporate compost into your vegetable garden when it’s ready and you are sure to aid in fertilization and enhance the growth of your plants.
If transplanting small trees or shrubs are in your gardening plans for next season, now is a good time to root prune these plants in preparation of being transplanted. Sever half the roots in a circle 2’ from the trunk.
An exciting blueberry as part of the BrazelBerries series from Fall Creek Farm & Nursery in Oregon is ‘Pink Icing’ (Vaccinium corymbosum). Its spring foliage shines in shades of pink, blue and green. The foliage ages to a shade of iridescent turquoise blue. The berries are large and sweet and the plant matures at 4’ tall and 3’ wide. Once you’ve chosen a sunny spot in your garden for your new blueberry plant, remember to do a soil sample. Blueberries are very soil specific. Hardy in zones 5-10.
Remember to bring houseplants indoors when nighttime temperatures stay around 45 degrees. Be sure to first inspect them for pests and diseases. Spraying all houseplants (except succulents) with an insecticidal soap mixed with water prior to bringing them in is helpful.
Sort through bulbs of garlic and choose the best bulbs as stock for replanting next month. When making the selections, look for bulbs that have a good shape with no distortions or abnormalities and are clean and free of disease.
Flavor broccoli with basil, dill, garlic, lemon balm, oregano, or thyme for wonderful flavor!
Nutrients are lost when carrots are peeled due to most of the nutrients being located near the skin. Rather than peeling the carrots, scrub the surface of the carrots after harvesting to remove any soil. Store the carrots in the vegetable drawer in the refrigerator to help maintain their moisture.
Plant Something Massachusetts is a project of Massachusetts Nursery and Landscape Association, and was originally established in partnership with Massachusetts Flower Growers’ Association.
