THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 20, 1996 TAG: 9610180084
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G2 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: GARDENING REMINDERS
SOURCE: Robert Stiffler
LENGTH: 66 lines
IF YOU WANT to pick remaining tomatoes and store them before frost, here are some tips for best results:
Store unblemished tomatoes. Damage from cuts, bruises, insects or disease causes mold and rot.
Store them where temperatures are between 55 and 75 degrees. The higher the temperature, the quicker they ripen. Temperatures below 55 cause chilling injury. Tissue breaks down and rots.
Michigan State University advisers recommend wrapping tomatoes individually in newspapers and placing in single layers on shelves. Others say wrapping is unnecessary - just store them and make sure they do not touch one another.
Bring them a few at a time into a warmer area to ripen. STOP WEEDS IN THE FALL
Once your newly seeded grass is up and established, it's a good time to spray for weeds. Fall is the best time for weed eradication, because most weeds are germinating, and they're easier to kill while they're small. Some products are pre-emergent, which means they prevent weeds such as dandelion, clover, spurge, chickweed and plantain by stopping seed development. One such product, Gallery, can be sprayed in the fall before weeds germinate. Follow label directions. GARDENING WITH CHILDREN
The National Gardening Association offers a Young Garden Grants Program. Each grant is worth more than $500 and consists of tools, plants, etc., furnished by 27 lawn and garden companies. Programs must involve at least 25 children between the ages of 3 to 18.
For an application, write Grants Department, National Gardening Association, 180 Flynn Ave., Burlington, Vt. 05401. Call (800) 538-7476.
A similar program is called ``Kids Growing with Dutch Bulbs.'' Each recipient school or youth group receives 250 assorted Dutch bulbs. For details on the 1997 program, contact the Mailorder Gardening Association, P.O. Box 2129, Columbia, Md. 21045. NEW WAY TO PLANT TREES
New studies of trees prove that the majority of their roots are in the top foot of soil and spread over a large area. This finding changes advice about the proper way to plant trees. You don't need to dig a planting hole twice as deep and wide as the root ball. And there's no need to add large quantities of organic matter to soil you take out of the hole. Instead, dig to the depth of the root ball. Thoroughly loosen the soil in the area to three times the diameter of the root ball. Score the side walls of the planting hole to reduce soil compaction created by digging.
Do not loosen the soil where the roots will rest, which could cause the tree to settle. When planting the tree, spread out the roots and lightly tamp the soil after replacing it.
Add 3 inches of mulch (bark or pine straw) over the planting area. Then water the newly planted tree thoroughly and weekly thereafter, if rainfall does not do it for you. ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS
The Chesapeake Master Gardeners remind readers that they provide a hotline from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday to answer questions on all aspects of gardening. Call 382-6348.
The Chesapeake Master Gardeners meet the second Wednesday of each month at 9 a.m. For location and topic, call the Chesapeake extension office at 382-6348. by CNB