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Nearly 3,300 pounds of produce
I ‘hese shorter days and
crisp, cool mornings tell
me that fall has settled
in. As another successful
gardening season wraps up,
it’s time to finish those final
chores, before the unescap-
able rain and cold arrive.
Things are winding down at
the Washington State Univer-
Master Gardener’s Catalyst
Garden in Shelton where just
under 3,300 pounds of produce was
grown and donated to The Saints’
Pantry Food Bank, along with 70
pounds of pumpkins left over from its
pumpkin sale. It was a magnificent
growing season but now it’s time to
get the gardens ready for their long
winter nap; ‘
Harvest those final pumpkins and
squash. If stored in a cool dry place,
they can last for a couple of months. If
you have any remaining tomatoes on
the vines, pick them and bring them
indoors to ripen, preferably in a paper
bag. Tomatoes need warmth, not sun—
light, to ripen.
Don’t bag and trash those leaves.
While green leaves are the engines
that fuel plants, the dried fall leaves
have value too. I read somewhere that
leaves don’t lose their worth when
they hit the ground, they just have a
location problem. Leaves make great
mulch. They can be used as is, leav-
ing them whole to place around larger
shrubs, but chopping them first is
worth the time. It helps with decom-
position and allows more moisture
WSU DIFFERENCE
to get to the plants. To chop,
make a row of leaves and run
the lawn mower over them.
Use them as you would any
other mulch. You can use
this on its own or as a 2-inch
bottom layer covered with 2
inches of your favorite mulch.
Leaving them where they
By JEANNlNE lie may not be a good idea.
sity Mason County Extension POLASKI
Leaves and lawns don’t go
well together. Either rake up
the leaves on the lawn or run
them over with a mulching mower.
Leaving them can block light and air
circulation and leave dead spots in
the lawn. Fall leaves are fine for the
compost pile because they are primar—
ily made of cellulose and carbon and
can be used to help strike the right
balance withkitchen scraps, which
generally have a higher nitrogen lev-
el. If you have a big pile of leaves, use
them in your compost pile over time.
Enjoy your flowers as long as
you can, they may last until frost.
Dahlias should stay in the ground
for a week or two after the first hard
frost to harden the tubers. If you are
brave you can try leaving them in the
ground covered with a heavy mulch.
Do not leave them in the ground if
you are not going to cover them as
the stem is hollow and our Northwest
rain will rot the tubers. Cut your an-
nuals at ground level, leaving the
roots in the ground. The less you dis-
turb the soil, the better. Compost the
stems and leaves, unless they show
disease. In that case, to the trash they
go.
Enroll todayfor
affordable, quality care
“it Learn about our Kaiser Permanente
Medicare Advantage (HMO) heal
and enroll before Dec. 7
‘34 gag.
gwn a donated
The final harvest from Catalyst Garden, the Master Gardener’s demonstra-
tion garden, is shown Sept. 29 in Shelton. Photo courtesy of Sherry
Clemmens
If you want to think beyond winter,
plant spring blooming bulbs, onion,
or garlic. Improve your garden soil
for the next growing season by either
planting a cover crop, such as red
clover (Trifolium incarnatum) or field
peas (Pisum sativum) or by adding
composted manure and mulch. These
will increase the soil fertility by in-
creasing organic matter, adding nu-
trients, feeding micro-organisms, and
reducing erosion. Some cover crops
also have the added benefit of helping
th plans
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suppress weeds.
Autumn is a beautiful time to be
out in the garden enjoying the bold
colors that help mitigate our shorter
days. It truly is a grand finale to the
growing season. '
I Jeannine Polaski is a Mason Counv
ty Master Gardener. Check out the
Master Gardener website at http:/
extension.wsu.edu / mason / master-
gardener/ master-gardener or call
360-427-96 Ext.
Premium6
RSVP for a FREE1 Local Webinar
Call 1-877-513-1309 (TTY 711),
seven days a week, 8 am. to 8 pm,
or visit kp.org/wa/smcjournal
Or, contact your broker to learn more
1 Free with no obligation to enroll. 2Excludes Basic Plan. 3Online access
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Plans. 6For our Key Plan in Island, King, Pl
Excludes Key and Anchor Plans.
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