Garden almanac

In the Garden this Week

Silver Lace Vine

Not much is starting to bloom this time of the year in the garden this week. Two choices in vines are the silver lace vine and sweet autumn clematis. The silver lace vine is a tough vine growing to 15 feet and covered with white flowers in late September.

Sweet Autumn Clematis

The other vine, sweet autumn clematis grows around 15 feet and is tougher than the regular clematis. It is the gardenia-like fragrance that is incredible.

Hardy cushion mums in a landscape.

Been getting questions about buying mums in pots and if they are hardy. By not knowing the variety I do not know. The best thing is to plant them after they bloom and see if they come back in the spring.

Asters

I like planting asters instead of mums because they are tough with flowers coming in blue, red, white (our native aster is white), purple, and pink. They are around the last of the perennials to bloom.

This is the time to spray around the house with an insecticide barrier spray to keep the creepy things out of the home. It will last around 3-4 weeks so you might need another spray application. I use Tempo/Cylence which seems to work very well.

Also, get to spray for those broadleaf weeds like dandelion and violet in the lawn. Just do not do it on a windy day and with a temperature above 80 degrees. Once the garden and annual flowerbed are cleaned, you can hit it with glyphosate (like Roundup) for those perennial weeds like bromegrass and thistle you have been fighting all summer. If you are planning to plant or expand a garden or flowerbed, use Roundup to burn the weeds and vegetation down, wait a couple of weeks then till.

Halloween

Easy Pumpkin Carving Ideas

Here are some simple and easy pumpkin carving ideas that even beginners can try:

Classic Jack-O’-Lantern

Use triangle eyes, a triangle nose, and a big, toothy grin. Simple shapes like triangles and squares are easy to carve.

Spook Tieup

Do a pumpkin carving then use a nail to punch holes and thread twine through the eyes and mouth.

Polka Dot Pumpkin

Use a drill or small carving tool to make circular holes of varying sizes all over the pumpkin. No precision is needed—just drill or carve holes randomly.

Cat Face

Carve two triangle eyes, a small triangle nose, and a wide mouth with whiskers. Add small triangle ears on the sides. Cats have simple features that translate well to pumpkin carving.

Ghost or Boo!

Carve the shape of a ghost or the word “Boo” in bold letters. The designs are simple, with mostly curves and a few straight lines.

Starry Night

Carve out stars or other simple shapes like moons across the pumpkin. Star shapes are simple and repetitive, making this an easy option for beginners.

Monogram or Initials

Carve your initials or a single letter into the pumpkin. Letters can be traced or stenciled onto the pumpkin for easy carving.

Winking Face

Carve one round eye and one winking (half-moon) eye, with a smiling mouth. Playful and simple, this design only requires basic shapes.

Mummy

Carve a simple web design then wrapping with cheese cloth.

Tip: If carving is too much, consider painting pumpkins with these designs as an alternative! You can mix carving and painting for a unique look too.

To help your carved pumpkin last longer and avoid mold and shriveling, you can follow these preservation tips:

  • After carving, soak the pumpkin in a solution of 1 tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water for about 30 minutes to kill bacteria and mold.
  • Once the pumpkin is dry, spread petroleum jelly (or vegetable oil) on the carved edges.
  • You can purchase a pumpkin spray preservative or make your own by mixing water, a few drops of bleach, and a little dish soap in a spray bottle. Spray the carved areas daily.
  • Use a battery-powered LED light instead of a candle inside the pumpkin to prevent drying out.
  • Use a clear acrylic spray or white glue diluted with water to seal the pumpkin’s surface after carving to lock moisture in.

By following these tips, you can help extend the life of your carved pumpkin and keep it looking fresh for days or even weeks!

Garden almanac

This Week in the Garden

This week in the garden when your flowers and vegetables wind down, remove the dead plants to trash bags. This removes the potential overwintering fungus spores and insect eggs for next year. This also helps with aster yellows in the annual bed.

Potato beetle larvae

Around the vegetable garden, I have buffalo burs with potato beetle larvae. Both the potato beetles and buffalo burs are native to the area. Since the buffalo burs belong to the potato family, you will find the larva on the buffalo burs. If the population of the larva is too great, they will attack potato plants.

Mullein

The weed of the week is the mullein. A tall growing (up to 6 feet) yellow flowering weed with a long taproot. Since these plants are biennials, they start out as a rosette the first year and then flower the second year. Settlers brought this plant westward because it was a treatment for asthma, chest colds, and bronchitis. Settlers planted it also for its yellow flowers like they did hollyhocks. Both survive with little rain. The weedy mullein has many seeds which can last years in the soil. It is also hard to kill with an herbicide because of its fuzzy leaves. Being a “cool” flower, horticulturists have created hybrid mulleins that are not invasive and come in colors of yellow, pink, white, and purple.

Uneven ripening caused by excessive heat.

Some people have had tasteless muskmelon and watermelon with large white cores. This was caused by the hot, dry weather this summer and now. You can still eat them, but the white areas might have a different taste. How can you tell if the watermelon is ripe? Where the fruit is attached to the main stem, there is a little tendril. The tendril should be brown and dry.

They also have questions about fertilizing a lawn. A fall application of fertilizer on the first of September is recommended. If you missed this time, you could apply a winter fertilizer on October 4 to 5 weeks before the ground freezes. The ground usually freezes around Thanksgiving to Christmas (but your guess is as good as mine). The winter application promotes root growth for better winter survivability and a quicker green-up in the spring.

Parsnips and carrots will get sweeter if left in the garden after a good hard freeze. The cold turns the starch into sugar making the vegetables much sweeter.