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

The week before Christmas is a magical time of year. It is magical in the sense of childlike wonder the little ones experience while listening to the Christmas story, waiting for Santa, singing, dancing, and crafting. It is also magical how much preparation is completed in the last few days by parents. Task completion of this scale could only be possible with the help of some higher power. Along with the magic of Christmas comes a less jolly pattern of increased household waste.

Americans throw away 25 percent more trash between Thanksgiving and the New Year than any other time of the year. While there are many reasonable explanations for the increase in discarded materials, there are probably some easy steps we could take in our homes to reduce the amount that we each contribute to the 25 million tons of extra garbage collected over the holidays.

One way to reduce discarded waste is to Continue reading Reducing Municipal Waste During the Holidays →

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

Happy Holidays! I hope that the holiday season is filling your heart with joy and your mind with precious memories to carry into the New Year. The Caldwell Square is looking gorgeous. Thank you to all of volunteers who have dedicated their time and talents to turning our already beautiful small town into a winter wonderland. The glow of lights on homes helps counteract the gloom of dreary evenings driving home from work each day. I am thankful for the Christmas cheer in the air and I hope it lasts beyond the holidays.

Personally, I consider it “Christmas” until New Year’s Eve. My family has traditionally celebrated Christmas with gatherings and gift giving from Christmas Eve through January 6^th, the 12^th day of Christmas and the traditional observation of Epiphany. However you celebrate the season, I hope you “make the yuletide gay” or in other words, have a happy holiday!

For many, holiday celebrations include a fire in the fireplace. My parents always made it a priority to have a crackling Continue reading Yuletide by the Fireside; Firewood Preparation and Safety →

Stumpery; a garden focusing on stumps?

Find the Master Gardener, Winter 2021-22 Newsletter, “Through the Vine” posted here in PDF format. Articles include:

• All about stumparies
• Connie’s Corner; A message from our MG Coordinator, Connie Smith
• Monthly meetings are back
• Master Gardener training 2022
• Mentors needed
• MG award winner; Wagnall’s Memorial named as friend to MG program
• A fresh start for houseplants
• Give back by shopping locally
• Featured Book; Grandma Gatewood’s Walk by Ben Montgomery
• Awe, Bug patrol at my sister’s farm
• Winter gardening for old folks
• See what’s happening in and around the garden