How to winterize your garden and enjoy nature
A three-month checklist, events to attend, resources to consult
September tasks:
Fertilize the lawn in the first half of the month.
Plant spring bulbs, vegetable seeds, evergreens, perennials and transplants.
Transplant shrubs and herbaceous plants, watering liberally for the first week.
Collect seeds for next year’s sowing.
If needed, aerate or dethatch the lawn. Sow grass seed.
After the newly seeded grass is three inches tall, mow the lawn.
Pot up cuttings of annuals for the winter.
Remove tomatoes, squash and zucchini plants as they thrive in hot weather.
Transplant broccoli, kale and cabbage into their place.
Dig up herbs to grow indoors.
Sow seeds for greens such as spinach and lettuce.
Pick pears and store them to ripen.
Amend the soil with manure or compost.
October tasks:
Stop mowing the lawn when the temperature reaches around 50 degrees.
Discard dead plants, diseased foliage and plants that could potentially become weeds.
Place debris (excluding any with fungus) into a compost pile.
Prepare soil for spring planting.
Prevent dehydration by watering evergreens regularly throughout the few weeks before the frost.
To retain soil moisture and minimize the chances of soil heave, cover the roots of perennials with a couple of inches of mulch.
Wrap evergreens in burlap or protect them from drying winds with a screen.
Leave perennials standing to insulate the crowns, mark the spot in the spring and provide a food source and shelter for the birds.
Harvest herbs to dry or freeze-dry.
Note garden changes to make in the spring.
November tasks:
Secure all vines to protect them from strong winds.
Winterize roses.
Clean up the planting beds.
Keep watering the evergreens.
Throw two inches of straw over strawberries.
Stake raspberries.
Remove the tops from asparagus plants, cover beds with manure.
Dig up tubers for storage in cardboard boxes or crates lined with paper. Avoid plastic and store in a cool, dry place.
Mow, lime and rake the lawn. Compost the leaves.
Drain and put away hoses.
Clean, oil and restock gardening tools.
Make soup with your broccoli, kale and cabbage.
Some events to attend:
Greenhouse Vegetable Production in Containers
Sturbridge Publick House, 277 Main St., Route 131, Sturbridge, Mass.
Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2014, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Educational program on container-grown greenhouse vegetable production.
• Growing Greenhouse Tomatoes and Cucumbers in Containers
Rich McAvoy, University of Connecticut
• Perfecting Biocontrol in Greenhouse Vegetables
Carol Glenister, IPM Laboratories, Locke, N.Y.
• Growing Bench-Top Greens
Brian Krug, University of New Hampshire
• Diseases and Disorders of Greenhouse Tomatoes, Cukes and Greens
M. Bess Dicklow, University of Massachusetts Extension Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory
• Grower to Grower Panel
Brad Clegg, Four Town Farm, Seekonk, Mass.
Dave Volante, Volante Farms, Needham, Mass.
Registration: $40 per person or $35 per person for 3 or more from same business. Includes morning refreshments and handouts. Two contact hours for pesticide recertification have been requested. To register, contact Tina Smith, 413-545-5306, tsmith@umext.umass.edu.
Northeast Greenhouse Conference
Mass Mutual Center, 1277 Main St., Springfield, Mass.
Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014 (all day) to Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014 (all day).
The largest nationally recognized greenhouse and floriculture industry show in the Northeast. “Attend stimulating educational workshops on a wide range of topics by industry experts; acquire knowledge and gain valuable insight. Visit with innovative exhibitors during dedicated tradeshow time to gather information on products and services that will benefit your business. Share ideas and build relationships.”
To register, visit negreenhouse.org. Prices vary.
URI Master Gardeners free soil pH tests
Roger Williams Park Botanical Center, 1000 Elmwood Ave., Providence, R.I. 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Oct. 4 and Nov. 1
To prepare, collect four to six samples from different locations in the area you are sampling. Go down three to six inches to the root depth to dig your sample. Place the samples in an open tray, mix well and allow them to air-dry overnight. Fill a paper bag with a half a cup of the sample and label it. Indicate where your soil sample was taken.
11th Annual Fall Carnivorous Plant Show
The show is free with the purchase of regular admission to the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center, , Providence, 401-785-9450, ext. 250
Oct. 4, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. and Oct. 5, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
More than 300 plants on display. Free seminars on growing and feeding carnivorous plants.
R.I. Wild Plant Society First Thursday Botanizing Walks
Free. Oct. 2, 10 a.m. to Noon, 4 Kings Way, Avondale Farm Preserve, Westerly, R.I., 401-789-7497
“Take a walk with people interested in learning and sharing their knowledge of native plants. Contribute data to a citizen science project studying climate changes on plants.”
R.I. Orchid Society happenings
Roger Williams Park Botanical Center, 1000 Elmwood Ave., Providence, 401-769-0369
• Terrestrial Orchids, Oct. 25, 12:30 p.m.
Most of the orchids cultivated today are air plants (epiphytes) but some are terrestrial (roots in the ground). Is the cultivation for these plants the same? This class will explain the needs for “land-locked” orchids.
• Mimicking the Rainforest, Nov. 29, 12:30 p.m.
Providing conditions similar to a rainforest is crucial to growing most orchids today. Learn how to provide these conditions in your home or apartment.
• What’s New in the Orchid World, Dec. 27, 12:30 p.m.
Learn about discoveries and trends in the world of orchid culture and preservation.
Gardening resources:
URI Garden Hotline, Kingston Campus URI Outreach Center
April through September, Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., 800-448-1011, gardener@etal.uri.edu
“The mission of the [Master Gardener] Association is to work in partnership with the URI Outreach Center and RI Land Grant programs to educate residents of Rhode Island and surrounding areas in environmentally sound gardening practices through the dissemination of factual, research-based information. The Association organizes and operates the URIMGA comprised of graduates of the URI Master Gardener training course.”
The Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
319 Stockbridge Hall, 80 Campus Center Way, Amherst, Mass.
The center “integrates research and outreach education in agriculture, food systems and the environment.” Among other services, it offers plant problem diagnostics. These include tree fruit and small fruit, tree and shrub, turf, vegetable and floriculture.
If you have questions on a home garden topic, email them to greeninfo@umext.umass.edu. You can also sign up for their Home Garden & Landscape email list here: extension.umass.edu/landscape/home-garden-email-list.
The Rhode Island Horticultural Society
130 Gano St., Providence, 401-272-0980.
Its mission is to create a better understanding of gardening and horticulture and how they can improve our quality of life. The society aims to be an information resource for Rhode Islanders and visitors.
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