Linda Shefcheck, a member of the Rices Landing Town and Country Garden Club, presented the program, “Putting the Garden to Bed,” at the club’s September meeting. Putting the garden to bed involves preparing the garden for spring planting. This procedure is vital to ensure a successful summer garden.
Shefcheck discussed harvesting and storing flower seeds for spring planting, such as zinnias. Another procedure is to separate plants and share them with fellow gardeners. Tall ornamental grasses can be contained with garden tape over winter. This will keep them intact during winter and make it easier to cut down in the spring to make room for new growth.
Mulching the garden should be done after the first frost to deter small critters from taking up residence in the soil. Granular fertilizer, rather than powder should be used. Leaves can be placed around plants for mulch as winter protection.
To complete the cleanup, all gardening tools need to be cleaned, sharpened and properly stored for spring use.
Shefcheck emphasized the importance of having the pH (acid or alkalinity) of the soil analyzed. This can be done by requesting a soil kit from the Greene County Extension Office in Waynesburg. A soil sample is taken from each corner of the garden and the kit is returned to the Extension Office, which sends the samples to Penn State for the pH results.
A question and answer session concluded the presentation.
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