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

Have you decided what to do with your tree?

We’ve made it to the last week of the year 2025. What a year! Another magnificent testimony of the influence of persistent people who make the most of what they have and share it with others they meet along the way.

There is no doubt that each person reading this column could make a list of joys and sorrows that 2025 brought our way. Without the sorrow, we wouldn’t know joy. Without joy, we wouldn’t recognize sorrow. Both are pivotal in shaping who we are as individuals and as a community. We should celebrate our joys together. We should feel our sorrows together. How blessed we are to be a part of a community that does just that.

Thank you, Noble County and all of Ohio, for being a supportive community through whatever comes our way! I am excited to see what we will experience together in 2026.

Before we jump ahead into the New Year, I have gathered together some suggestions for ways to close out year, while remaining festive!

Here are some ideas of what to do with your Christmas tree now that Continue reading Saying Goodbye to 2025 →

Celebrate the Winter Solstice!

In this edition:

• Winter Solstice approaching
• Connie’s Corner
• Bloom Carroll Chamber Singers perform for MGs
• January virtual book club
• Winter birdwatching series
• The popular Amaryllis
• Featured Book: Decking the Halls by Janet Melrose and Sheryl Normadeau
• A recipe for beer bread
• Potatoes; A year-round favorite
• The marvelous mint plant
• Garden Destinations
• In/Around the Garden

Find this Winter’s Master Gardener Newsletter in it’s entirety linked here.

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

Remember, many common décor items are flammable.

Another change of the seasons is upon us. Winter is coming. With it comes joy and anticipation for holidays that fill our homes and hearts with warmth. It also prompts us to quite literally turn up the heat as the weather turns chilly.

It is important to remember as we add holiday décor to our homes- that many common décor items are flammable. We must be cautious as we consider where décor is placed and inspect electrical items before incorporating them into a display.

Remember- never place evergreen foliage within reach of a heat source, because it can be highly flammable. Make sure to keep your live Christmas tree adequately Continue reading Festively Flammable →

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

Potatoes, a year-round favorite!

As we count our blessings leading up to Thanksgiving, I propose a shout out to one of the most reliable vegetables we consume- the potato!

While potatoes are rarely the star of the Thanksgiving table, they are a year-round favorite and deserve a little celebration in between the roast turkey and pumpkin pie. Potatoes are so popular. They are the top non-grain human food crop in the world and the number one vegetable crop grown in the United States. So versatile, so tasty, and so affordable- the potato is also loaded with vitamin C, vitamin B6, niacin, and potassium!

Potatoes are part of the Continue reading Thankful for Potatoes →

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

There’s still lots you could do with those pumpkins!

With Halloween in the rearview and Thanksgiving in the headlights, pumpkin season continues on! While some may switch their seasonal tastes to peppermint at the beginning of November, I think pumpkin has weeks to go as a featured flavor and decoration.

When you see a whole pumpkin, do you see food or decoration?

I see food. Food for me. Food for animals. Food for the soil.

While painted, bedazzled, and carved pumpkins will likely Continue reading What’s in a pumpkin? →

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

Leaves can be composted for soil nutrients.

The task of leaf gathering and disposal is underway. Leaf litter may seem like a nuisance, but leaf litter is a valuable resource that I hope you will consider recycling.

Leaves contain valuable nutrients for soil health. Healthy soils provide plants and animals with healthy habitats. Keep the nutrients held within fallen leaves in use by reincorporating them into your landscape in the form of compost or mulch.

It is important to take care of the leaves that fall on your property. Leaf litter can smother your lawn by reducing light infiltration, which can create patchy lawn growth in the spring. Leaves should also be cleaned from your gutter systems and drains to facilitate good water flow.

Leaves can be beneficial to lawns as fertilizer if they are Continue reading Leaf Care and Composting →

We’ve been busy!

In this edition:

• Benefits of leaving the leaves
• A message from our MG Coordinator
• AaMGV program recruiting
• Tomato tasting event
• Fairfield County Fair news
• Gluten Free Living class scheduled
• Seasonal Pumpkin Pie Cake recipe
• Boxelder Bugs in season
• Spotted Lanternfly more prevalent in Ohio
• Using corn discards
• All about gourds
• Hummingbird feeder etiquette
• Featured Book: The Garden by Nick Newman
• Origin of tomatoes
• Garden Destinations Franklin Park Conservatory – Lego block statues
• See what’s happening in and around the garden

Find the Fall 2025 Master Gardener Newsletter in it’s entirety linked here.

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

Protect nature . . . eliminate SLF!

The desk where I write today’s article is my hand as I sit next to a statue of Theodore Roosevelt at the Roosevelt Island Park surrounded by the Potomac River. The place in this memorial that drew me in to type in the shade was the stone wall dedicated to “Nature”. In the words of Theodore Roosevelt it reads:

“There is delight in the hardy life of the open. There are no words that can tell the hidden spirit of the wilderness, that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy and its charm. The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased; and not impaired in value. Conservation means development as much as it does protection.”

Protecting the assets of nature is a concept that Continue reading Protecting the Assets of Nature →

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

Is herbicide free chemical free?

Weeds have been the most prominent topic of discussion coming through the Extension office over the past month. They seem to be heavy on the mind as we move into fall. The increased struggle many are experiencing with weeds this year aligns with what we expected to follow the exceptional drought conditions of 2024. The harsh growing season posed significant challenges for our desirable plants and allowed weedy species to gain ground and leave plenty of seed behind that we are now observing in 2025.

Of the folks who reach out for advice, many are looking for herbicide options and many are looking for “chemical-free” alternatives for weed control. We are able to provide advice on both, however, it is important to acknowledge that there are really no “chemical-free” options for weed control. There are Continue reading “Chemical-Free” Weed Control →

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

Don’t guess, soil test!

Having an issue with your lawn, garden, pasture, or crop field? The classic first question we ask in Extension is- “When was your last soil test?” If it has been more than 3 years since the last time a soil fertility test has been done on the space, it is time to take another one. Soil testing is the most reliable way to find out what nutrients your soil has to offer for growing plants and what may need added for improved growth.

Autumn is an excellent time for soil testing! The soil tends to be drier and easier to sample in the fall. Testing laboratories tend to be less busy than in the spring. You have the observations of growth in your memory from the past season and you have a season to prepare before you will have plants growing again. This gives you Continue reading Don’t guess. Soil test! →