Garden Reminders

Recycle Garden Waste

As the frost arrives and kills back the annual vegetation, collect these materials and recycle to the compost pile. Any weeds with maturing seed heads should be tossed as the seeds will remain viable and haunt your garden next year.

Before the frost kills back the entire plant, take cuttings from your favorite coleus plants. These will make wonderful houseplants this winter. Dip the cut ends in a solution of liquid hormone. Stick the cuttings in moistened vermiculite and place in bright light. When rooted, pot up in good potting soil and grow in a sunny window.

For the sweetest grapes, leave the fruit clusters on the vine until they are ripe and sweet. Grapes don't ripen well after harvesting. If wasps are digging into the fruit, cover the clusters of grapes with paper bags. This will also deter raccoons and deer.

Now is a great time to disperse poppy and larkspur seeds on the soft ground. The larkspur will germinate into tiny rosettes of foliage and overwinter just fine, ready to grow in the spring. The poppy seeds will germinate next spring.

Collect seeds from some of your favorite vegetables and flowers. Dried seeds can be stored in paper envelopes where you can write down notes including growing conditions, color, and other tidbits of information. Note the year of collection.