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

The past week brought additional trials associated with winter weather across the state. Freezing rain, sleet, and snowfall impacts varied drastically across the region and county with different degrees of hazardous conditions posed to our citizens. Along with concerns for travel, power outages associated with ice load on powerlines and down trees created safety concerns for residents and left behind a mess of debris to clean up. If you have the chance to thank a staff member of your power generation and transmission service or a road worker, please do. In times like these, they are the true heroes that keep us safe, warm, and carrying on with our daily lives.

If you were in an area that received freezing rain, you likely have a mess of woody material to clean up on private property. It can be a daunting but necessary task. It can also be extremely dangerous. Trees that are already weakened by the weight of ice and snow may have residual branches drop without warning. If the ice and snow have not thawed yet, even falling ice and snow off branches in the wind can be a safety hazard. Only clear what is Continue reading Ice Storm Clean Up →

You’re invited to Noble County Extension’s January Farm Talk event offered in a webinar format on Zoom at Noon on Friday, January 21, 2022. The topic will be Winter Windowsill Herb Gardening.

The webinar is free to attend. Those who register by January 19, 2022 will receive an emailed packet of healthy recipes that would be easy to make for lunch featuring popular herbs to accompany the webinar.

Register for the webinar online at https://go.osu.edu/JanFarmTalk22.

– 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

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

There is something magical about a live evergreen tree decorated for the holidays

In my opinion, there is something magical about a live evergreen tree decorated for the holidays that simply cannot be replaced by a synthetic look-a-like. Each year, I encourage my friends, family, and clientele to support local Christmas tree farmers and embrace the traditional experience of hunting for the perfect live tree.

This year, news outlets have been reporting shortages of many holiday commodities, Christmas trees included, due to labor shortages and supply chain disruptions. While this may be an issue in various communities across the nation who rely on pre-cut trees hauled from the farm to the city, those of us who live within a short drive of a local tree farm shouldn’t have a problem finding a specimen that fits the traditional aesthetic.

Ohio tree farms can be found through the Ohio Christmas Tree Association’s Farm Finder tool, which maps all of their membership’s farms and Continue reading Which live tree is right ‘fir’ you? →

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

Last week I elaborated on the annoying habits of multicolored Asian lady beetles and stink bugs. Over the weekend I was given new writing inspiration about another set of annoying and more concerning pests- rodents.

Rodents are more concerning than the bugs we reviewed previously because mice and rats are known carriers of serious diseases globally. Once rodent presence has been detected in the home, action needs to be taken quickly to eliminate the extent of potential damage and contamination. In severe cases of rodent infestation, a professional exterminator should be contacted for assistance. For seasonal and sporadic occurrences, homeowners can often address the issue on their own.

The moment of alarm and disgust when you discover that a rodent has been visiting your living space is fairly common in the month of November. Even if you have a brand-new home and are an immaculate housekeeper, rodents may still find a way to sneak inside and snuggle up for the cold evenings of fall and winter.

As we did last week, let’s address the answers to two common homeowner questions about Continue reading Mouse in your house? You’re not alone →

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

Like many other creatures, ladybugs and this brown marmorated stink bug are responding to cooling temperatures, fewer hours of sunlight, and diminishing sources of food, and moving in doors.

The theme of the past week on my radar has been all about bugs. From programs about scouting for spotted lanternfly to the annoyance of multicolored Asian lady beetles (MALB) and brown marmorated stink bugs (BMSB) crawling and flying around my house, bugs have been on my mind. I bet they’ve been on yours too.

Every year in the fall there are complaints about uninvited six-legged home invaders trying to shack up with us for the winter. From ladybugs (which are most likely multicolored lady Asian beetles, not true ladybugs), to pine seed beetles (often called stink bugs), to brown marmorated stink bugs (stocky brown stink bugs with a shield shaped back), to various other pests, homeowners are often overwhelmed by the number of invaders. They commonly reach out wanting to know where they came from and how to Continue reading Are you getting bugged by bugs? →

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

November is upon us. The crispness of fall is in full glory. Hay season is subsiding. Grain harvest is moving along slowly. Even if the workload on the farm slows down after harvest, we still feel rushed as daylight fades earlier and earlier each day.

Everyone I talk to is waiting for a time when life will slow down, they can take a deep breath, and feel that feeling of accomplishment that the hard work has been worth the effort. That they’ve made it to where they want to be. If only we could feel a little of that feeling every day…

Come to think of it, what’s stopping us? Maybe observing a little more of an attitude of gratitude could help us through those days when the workload is too heavy, and the world is too hard. Taking a few minutes each day to Continue reading Observing an Attitude of Gratitude →