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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
October 22, 2020     Shelton Mason County Journal
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October 22, 2020
 
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lva V pn-Iph‘KU \r \r «- 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 RSVP for a FREE1 Live Local Webinar to learn about plans with: Hospital, medical, and prescription drug coverage2 combined Access to high—quality doctors in nearly 60 specialties - A yearly limit on out—of—pocket expenses for added protection Access to care from home—without copays3 New enhanced vision, hearing,4 and dental5 allowances Wellness coaching and mental health services in KAISER PERMANENTE® 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 to make appointments, view test results, have phone and video appointments, and email your care team for non—urgent issues; when appropriate and available. Plans. 6For our Key Plan in Island, King, Pl Excludes Key and Anchor Plans. 5Excludes Key, Vital, and Anchor erce, Snohomish, and Thurston counties, our Anchor Plan in Skagit and Whatcom counties, and our Centennial Plan in Spokane County. Kaiser Permanente is an HMO plan with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in Kaiser Permanente depends on contract renewal. You must reside in the Kaiser Permanente Medicare health plan service area in which you enroll. For accommodations of persons with special needs at meetings, call 1-877—513—1309 (TTY 711). Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington, 1300 SW 27th St. Renton, WA 98057. H5050_MA0002280_50_2 O_P2_PA_ES__M