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Are you looking for something to do now that the holiday season is over? Like most people this time of year, you may yearn to be outside but it's too cold to stay there long. You should think about putting up a bird feeder. An overlooked gift card to a garden center or big box home improvement store can be beneficial to you, giving you a project, and helpful to some wildlife when they need it most.
By adding a feeder to your yard you can make their lives easier. As plants die back or go dormant, coupled with a snow cover, a bird’s food source is diminished. If you provide a feeder and seed during the winter time, you sustain our feathered friends which gives you a productive task during the bleak months of winter. A bonus would be to take up bird watching as a hobby too. You find anywhere from twenty-five to thirty-five different birds.
With that many kinds of birds, comes different feeding habits and food needs. It might be good to put up different styles of feeders to be most helpful:
- Hopper feeders: It looks like a house with Plexiglas sides on top of a platform where the seed is dispensed as birds eat it. The Plexiglas makes it easy to tell when more seed needs to be added. The seed is protected against the weather but not so well against squirrels.
- Tube feeders: Hollow Plexiglas cylinders with multiple feeding ports and perches. These hanging feeders attract species that typically feed off the ground. You can attach a tray to the bottom to catch scattered seeds and to allow larger species to feed.
- Tray or platform feeders: Simple flat, raised surfaces on which you spread seed. Easy to make, they are one of the most popular feeders. Birds that typically feed on the ground are particularly attracted to this type of feeder. A disadvantage of platform feeders is that they are not squirrel-proof or weather resistant. They should have drainage holes for water and need to be cleaned often to remove bird droppings. Only one day’s worth of food should be put out at a time.
Taking care of our feathered friends is an enjoyable way to mark the time as winter progresses. Winter feeding isn’t just for the birds. For more information on this please contact the Penn State Master Gardeners in Lackawanna County and request a free copy of “Winter Bird Feeding”. If you are interested in becoming a master gardener, we are having a new training class beginning February 24. We can be reached at 570-963-6842 or email: LackawannaMG@psu.edu.
Steve Ward
Master Gardener Coordinator
It is a well-used trend to start any new year with resolutions: things we want to do, should do, and even some we even some bad habits to break. It is all for the sake of improvement. For the home landscape, we can make and carry out resolutions to make our yards and gardens better.
For 2014, here are ten resolutions for you to consider integrating into the garden hobby:
- Test your soil: Your growing success or failure depends on the quality of your soil. If you take a soil test you will know what nutrients are lacking and the soil pH. You can easily correct any deficiencies. Your garden will thank you. Penn State Extension has soil test kits for purchase in our offices.
- Compost: This is nature’s recycling program. Take your grass clippings, fallen leaves, and spent healthy plant material, and turn it into a free amendment that your soil will thank you by increased yields. Finished compost has natural inoculants that benefit the landscape. In addition, you save time by not bagging your yard waste, and it does not take up valuable landfill space.
- Use less chemicals: Before reaching for a spray or powder, know what the problem is. Sometimes a small sign of a disease can be tolerated without the use of chemicals. Remember too, just because a product is labeled organic, it does not mean it is harmless. A pesticide, regardless of its origin, is still dangerous. Pyrethins, a common and popular insecticide, will kill bad bugs, but also good ones like honey bees. Please read the label!
- Plant natives: Choose a perennial well suited for this area. These plants are tolerant of our weather changes, soil conditions, and pests. They tend not to be invasive so they will live in reasonable balance with the other parts of your landscape. There are trees, shrubs, perennials, ferns, and flowers from which you can choose at your local garden center. The Penn State Master Gardeners in Lackawanna County have lists of natives we can send to you.
- Plant for pollinators: Bees and butterflies depend on your garden for sustenance. For them, it can be feast or famine. A lot of native plants are great for the pollinators too. Besides the plants, pollinators need a source of water and shelter. Visit http://ento.psu.edu/pollinators for a wide variety of information.
- Learn to identify insects: You see all sorts of bugs around your garden. Can you tell the difference between a nuisance and a beneficial insect? Some may be doing damage while other bugs are keeping the bad ones in check. Make sure, if you are going to use a pesticide, what the insect is, if it is damaging anything or if it is a beneficial bug helping you.
- Plant extra to give away: Plan ahead to grow some extra vegetables for a food pantry. There always seems to be an abundance of fresh food and hungry people. Think about finding and helping someone in need. Giving something from your garden, or dividing a perennial is a great way to make friends with someone new in your neighborhood.
- Plant some flowers in your garden for cutting: You can have fresh flowers on your table just about every day during the summer. Give them as a gift to brighten someone’s day. You will be amazed how much of a boost you will get from a beautiful bouquet you grew yourself.
- Cut your grass a little higher: Most homeowners mow their turf too short. Generally, two and half to three inches is the optimum height for a lawn. This benefits the roots by keeping them cool and crowds out the weeds. You mow less often so you win too. Remember to let the clippings lay. They will break down easily and are great source of nitrogen for the soil. If not, you should compost them instead of sending them to the landfill.
- Learn something new: Whether you educate yourself on a new plant variety, an emerging gardening trend, or a technique, there are vast arrays of resources of reliable information. The Penn State Master Gardeners in Lackawanna County have plenty of learning opportunities coming up.
The Penn State Master Gardeners in Lackawanna County have free publications on most of the above topics. If you would like to know more about any of them, please contact us at 570-963-6842 or email: LackawannaMG@psu.edu. Happy New Year!
Steve Ward
Master Gardener Coordinator
With the holiday season upon us fully now, comes the traffic, the crowds, and the stress. You may be preparing to put up your Christmas tree as well. Here are some interesting and fun facts about them:
- The first decorated tree dates back to Riga, Latvia in 1510.
- The first printed reference to Christmas trees appeared in Germany 1531.
- Christmas tree lights were first mass-produced in 1890.
- The tree at Rockefeller Center in New York City is decorated with 30,000 LED lights and topped by a 550 pound crystal star.
- Ninety-eight per cent of Christmas trees are grown on farms.
- 46 million seedling Christmas trees were planted by U.S. growers.
- 25 to 30 million live trees are sold every year, compared with 11 million artificial trees.
- Sales of live trees in 2012 had a real market value of over 1 billion dollars.
One of the more interesting facts about real Christmas trees is that you can purchase a live tree and plant it outside. Your holiday memories can grow into a beautiful part of the home landscape. Select garden centers often have recently-dug or container grown trees to sell for this very purpose. Planning ahead, even with a short time before the actual holiday will ensure the healthiest tree and increase its chances of survival.
What to choose: You should look for healthy high quality trees. This is often reflected in the price. Considering this will be a feature of your yard, this is not the time to shop for a bargain. Avoid “leftovers.” A tree with dry or hard soil is indication of lack of care. Branches should be pliable, with no brown or off-color needles and minimal needle drop. Douglas and balsam firs are very common but are not native to our region. White and Scotch pines, along with Blue and white spruce are the top choices. Remember, this will be a permanent part of your yard so consider its future growth habit. Tress grow up and out. Make sure you have adequate space.
When to buy: Trees are dug before the ground freezes so visit your garden center soon if you are getting a bagged and balled type. A good choice is a container grown tree. But be careful where you store it. Bringing it in too soon will cause it to dry out quickly and make it harder to survive being in the cold again after the holidays.
How to care for it: Water the tree as soon as you have it home. Keep the soil consistently moist until it is planted outside. Keep it in an area that is cool as possible. Put off bringing it into it’s display room until a few days before Christmas. Heat increases the chances the tree will not survive. Move just as quickly to its storage location prior to planting. A very cold porch or unheated garage are some of the options for intermediate storage. Pre-digging the hole for final planting makes the last step easier. It should be at least three times as big as the root ball. While this is probably the hardest part of the process, site preparation is the most important. If you feel you don’t have time do this, or the weather is too severe to work outside, consider a temporary cold storage location.
The Penn State Master Gardeners in Lackawanna County have the free factsheet “How to Choose a Live Christmas Tree” to give you more information on this topic. Please contact us at 570-963-6842 or email LackawannaMG@psu.edu and request a copy.
Steve Ward
Master Gardener Coordinator
Penn State Extension – Lackawanna County
When the days become shorter and there is a chill in the air, we know the growing season is ending and the yard work is slowing down. There is not as much to do in the fall and winter as there is during the other seasons. It is a good time to add to the compost pile, to turn it and tend to it. However, even that chore is less of a burden. If you are a dedicated composter, there is an alternative you can do in the winter: vermicomposting.
Vermicomposting is also known as worm composting. It is a great way to use up your clean kitchen waste and food scraps. All year long, the worms are hard at work turning waste into high quality compost. Added benefits include less trash to put on the curb and nothing in the garbage disposal.
While there are many kinds of worms in the soil, the best kinds for vermicomposting are the red wigglers, Eisenia fetida. They are often chosen for worm composting, because it is easy to replicate their preferred environment in a worm bin. They are also ideal, because they have short life spans, reproduce quickly and tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions.
It is very simple to start worm composting. A simple container about fifteen inches deep and a tight-fitting lid is all you need to get started. Make sure there are ventilation holes in the sides or lid to help with air circulation. The worms need bedding, so a four to six layer of shredded newspaper is a good choice. It does need to be moist, with the consistency of a wrung-out sponge, and then fluffed to create air pockets. Place the bin where the temperatures are in the forty to eighty degree range. Avoid direct sunlight as the bin will dry out fast. Under the kitchen sink is the ideal place for the compost bin; it is usually the closest to the work space.
The worms are basically vegetarians so feed them fruits and vegetables. Avoid dairy and meat products as they will spoil and create a nuisance. Add food scraps to the new worm bin gradually at first, introducing about a half-pound of food scraps per pound of worms in the bin until they become accustomed to their new home. Burying the food under the bedding helps reduce fruit fly and odor problems. Rotating the spots where food scraps are buried will help the worms distribute throughout the bin.
You will know when it is time to start harvesting; the contents are brown and earthy looking. Plus you won’t be able to identify the original bedding material. This process can take about two months. The compost will resemble fresh potting soil. You can then use it to amend your indoor houseplants, or to top dress your gardens when spring arrives again.
For more information on vermicompsting, please contact the Penn State Master Gardeners in Lackawanna County at 570-963-6842 or email: LackawannaMG@psu.edu for the free factsheet “Composting with Worms”.
Steve Ward
Master Gardener Coordinator
Did you know apples are grown in all fifty states? Did you know the pilgrims planted the first apple trees in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and the crabapple is the only apple native to North America? Did you know apples were exported from America as early as 1768? Did you know Pennsylvania produces only four per cent of those grown, Washington State is tops, with fifty-eight per cent? Did you know the yearly, per capita apple consumption is twenty one pounds, compared with Europeans at forty-six? Did you know apple picking season is under way? Whether you are a backyard orchardist or will make a fun journey to pick your own, here is some information to help you pick quality apples.
In our region, some varieties, like the Yellow Transparent, ripen early, usually mid-July. For the most part, the best selection starts around Labor Day through October. It is important to know when a particular apple is generally ready to pick. Most nursery catalogs and Extension guides can give you an idea, but yearly variations in weather, temperature, and sunlight make dates an estimate. Mature fruit is different than ripe fruit. Maturity means that the apple is finished developing. Ripe means it is at its peak for flavor and texture. We have all mistakenly bitten into a beautiful looking apple only to find it is green, hard, and sour. For those who want to hold apples in storage, mature, but not fully ripe fruit is goal. They will maintain their taste and texture better. For eating, cooking, and baking, ripe fruit is best. It is far from an exact science, but here are some tips to help guide your harvest:
Know the kind of apple. Macintosh are ready earlier than a Red Delicious. So be aware of the general harvest times. Each variety of apple has specific characteristics, size, skin color, texture and taste.
Look at the skin color. Immature apples are green. If a specific apple by nature is mostly red, and still green, you know they aren’t ready. Look at the ground color, which is the indented area by the stem. The lighter yellow-green color, the chances are the apple is mature. This does not work on all red apples. Generally, and more so on later varieties, the seed coat will change to a dark brown. Firm, but not hard flesh is another indicator of readiness. There is a subjective test of taste. When an apple is ready, there will be a pronounced fullness in flavor and sweetness.
Once an apple is ready, it still has to be picked and stored. Most of all though, it has to be enjoyed. For more information on picking and storing, the Penn State Master Gardeners in Lackawanna County have the publication packet “Harvesting Apples.” Please contact us at 570-963-6842 or email: LackawannaMG@psu.edu and request a free copy.
Steve Ward
Master Gardener Coordinator
Penn State Extension - Lackawanna County
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