Holiday Fire Hazards

– Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County, OSU Extension

The most common multipurpose extinguisher, ABC, is suitable for most instances encountered by a gardener or farmer.

The holidays are approaching and many are eager to decorate, welcome family and friends into their warm homes, and celebrate. Before company arrives or before you leave for a visit, think about fire safety around your home, garage, and/or barn.

According to the American Red Cross structural fire risk increases in the fall and winter, with December and January being the peak months. Statistically fires are more likely to occur on Saturdays and Sundays in the evenings, while people are home (www.redcross.org/homefires).

Common inadvertent causes of structural fires are cooking, heating units, electrical distribution/lighting, and Continue reading

How to Properly Clean Your Tools & Pots

Lower the risk for plant disease in next year’s garden! Before you store your garden tools for the winter be sure to clean them.

Many plant pathogens can survive from one season to the next in infected plant debris, soil, or on tools, trellises, stakes, or pots that were used to grow the plants.

How to get started cleaning tools, pots, and other garden supplies:

Remove all soil and plant debris attached to tools, trellises, or old pots. Most plant pathogens survive best when sheltered by soil or in plant material. Potting soil, annual plants, leaves and stems killed by frost can all be placed into a compost pile. Use a brush or a hard stream of water from the garden hose to completely Continue reading

Fall Weed Control in the Lawn

The fall season and even some of the milder weather periods of early winter present great possibilities in weed control, particularly if you are interested in using recommended herbicides. Any time of year is appropriate to hand-remove weeds for common lawn weeds such as dandelion and plantains. However, hand-removal of creeping weeds with fibrous root systems is often very limited in success and can be quite frustrating. In these cases, herbicides are often the most effective option in control.

What does the season have to do with control? There are a few major reasons Continue reading