The Eagle Gazette

Like many of you, I have fond autumn recollections of raking fallen leaves into an enormous pile….only to squash my hard work by plunging into them. My sister and I would repeat these efforts over and over until we were dog-tired, or until our dad declared playtime over. Nowadays, leaf-jumping has lost its allure; yet my trees continue to drop their leaves! Let’s take a closer look at handling these autumn offerings.

Leave them!  Unquestionably the easiest route, this is an option if your yard is scattered with tree species that  produce smaller leaves, such as locust or black cherry. If you’re dealing with a larger canopy, however, mow-mulching may be necessary. Most lawnmowers have the ability to shred leaves into smaller pieces that will, over time, break down in your lawn. There are many benefits to leaving this mulchy layer:

• Provide habitat for wildlife and overwintering beneficial insects.
• Decomposing leaves add nutrients and increase lawn fertility.
• Leaf bits fill in the spaces between individual grass plants, suppressing weeds.

Mulch, mulch, mulch! When nature gives you leaves, make mulch! Vegetable plots and flowerbeds can both benefit from blankets of mulched leaves.

• Ensure leaves have been shredded, as whole leaves can impede drainage.
• Use shredded leaves to cover bare ground and insulate tender plants.
• If using around trees and shrubs, layer in a donut shape to ensure leaves are not touching stems or trunks.
• Do not use black walnut leaves, as they secrete a chemical that can hinder plant growth.

Compost- Excess leaves make great compost! During the composting process, microbes break down leaf litter into an organic matter called humus that provides a nutrient-boost to future plantings. Ensure piles are manageable in size (at least 3’x 3’x 3’ is recommended) and have good air flow. Adding green material, such as garden leftovers or grass clippings, can expediate the composting process. Maintain your pile by keeping it moist and aerating it often by turning with a spading fork.

 

 

Have you ever wondered about composting from home?  This is a practical and convenient way to handle yard trimmings including all of those leaves, grass, chopped brush and plant clippings.

Did you know yard trimming and kitchen scraps represent more than 30% of what we throw away.  Composting in the natural process of recycling organic matter such as leaves, food scrapes and peelings into a valuable fertilizer that can enrich the soil and plants.  Anything that grows decomposes eventually, composting simply speeds up the process by providing an ideal environment for bacteria fungi   and other decomposing organisms to do their work.  The resulting decomposed matter, ends up looking like garden soil is compost and often called “black gold.”

How do I get started ?  First think about the type of container you might want.  It can be something as simple as woven bins are easy to make and very economical. . Or you can build a nice cement block bins construct a wooden pallet bin or simply purchase a compost bin at more local hardware stores.  Whatever will work best in your situation, you will find it very easy to get started with minimal investment.   The most efficient recommended size for your composting effort is at least 3 X 3 ft.

Siting the Compost bin is something you need consider, by thinking about where the bin will be most usable and convenient for you to use.  You will need an area with good air circulation.  It will be best if you locate it near the garden where much of your plant material will come from and within easy access to your kitchen, if you are going to add kitchen scraps.   Since you want the compost pile to sponge damp when getting started, locating near a water source is going to be helpful.  Next consider, how much time you spend entertaining outdoors and where you like to entertain the most.  Even though you should have no odors when composting it might not be most visually appealing to have a compost bin near your outdoor living spaces.

The other investment you should make as you begin your composting journey is a compost thermometer.  As you begin the layering process you will be able to record the temperatures of the compost pile and if layered correctly your compost pile should heat up to a temperature of 140 degrees in about 1 week .

Getting Started is easy.  Simply remove the grass and sod cover from the area where your compost pile will be constructed to allow for direct contact of the materials with soil microorganisms.

LAYER 1 :  3- 4 inches of Chopped Brush &  other course material.   To allow good air flow thru the pile.

LAYER 2:  6-8 inches of scraps, leaves, and grass clippings.  Materials should be “damp”

LAYER 3:  1” of soil to add microrganisms

LAYER 4:  Sprinkle with Lime/or Wood Ash and moisten pile if necessary

Items that you can use in your compost pile can include:  Leaves, Lawn Clippings, Vegetable, Fruit Waste, Coffee Grounds, Egg Shells, Shredded Newspaper, Trimmed healthy plant material.

Items that should not be in your compost pile include: Meat Scraps,  Dairy Scraps, Cheeses, Glazed or color printed magazines, Diseased plants, Pet poop.

Once you get your compost pile completed you might notice, your pile “settling” within a week or so, that is normal and means the pile is beginning to decompose.  This is a great time to start your compost pile with the abundance of fall leaves.  And by getting started now, you will have some “black gold” to begin your vegetable/flower gardening season in 2023.  For more details on Composting at home check out the Ohio State University Fact Sheet entitled “Composting at Home”  online at  https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-1189-99 or call OSU Extension in Fairfield County at 740-653-5419  to have a copy of the fact sheet mailed directly to you.

Author:   Connie Smith, Program Assistant-OSU Extension Fairfield County

 

 

 

 

The damage that a little mouse can do to electrical systems may have great impacts on the functionality of farm equipment. Before putting equipment in storage for winter, do routine maintenance, including preventing mice from taking up residence in your tractor cab.   One quarter of house fires with undetermined causes are assumed to be caused by rodents chewing on electrical wires. This can also be the cause of many tractor malfunctions. With the risk of electrocution, it makes you wonder why would they chew on electrical wires in the first place?

The answer is easy. They chew on everything!!!

Mice, rats, and other rodents have teeth that are constantly growing and therefore they are constantly gnawing on any material they can find to file their teeth. Electrical wires are often hidden from view in places that would be cozy for rodent nests and offer convenient access to wire insulation to chew. People rarely notice damage to the wires until an electrical system fails to work when they need it.

Modern farm equipment operates on a series of electrical systems to connect systems to each other and enable safety functions. A weakness somewhere in the circuit could cause malfunctions to the main electrical system, throwing codes, and triggering safety shut offs.

For example, if a mouse exposes wires to a seat sensor, the motor may refuse to run because it seems that the seat is empty. Imagine this happened to you. Your first idea may be to check if something is wrong with the motor or the battery, but upon inspection you find nothing wrong, and call your mechanic for help. Upon diagnosis, the issue traces back to the electrical system. Your mechanic flips up the tractor seat and finds a mouse nest, damaged wiring, and a faulty sensor. A mouse nest has now cost you hourly fees, parts, and delayed work. In a worse scenario, the damage to the wire coating could be minor and just cause heat to emit from the wires, then short circuit, spark, and catch on fire, melting your wiring harness. The damage can be frustrating, dangerous, and expensive to repair.

Traps and rodenticides are not very effective at controlling rodents on the farm. A barn cat is a helpful teammate, but the most effective control for rodents is preventing entry into storage spaces. It may seem impossible to seal every crack but do the best you can. Mice can squeeze through areas that are a quarter inch squared and rats through a half inch squared. Adding hardware cloth to ventilation spaces can help prevent entry. Keep vegetation around storage buildings trimmed down to reduce hidden entries and passage corridors.

Rodent damage can also be an issue in frequently used machinery during the winter. Mice can scurry away while the equipment is running and return after it is parked again to bask in the radiant warmth after you do chores. Both cabbed and open station equipment can harbor rodents.  Remove any food or loose fabric material from your tractor cab to deter feeding and nest creation. Occasionally inspect your tractor throughout the winter to watch for nesting. Even if the cab or other compartments appear sealed there may be alternative entry points, such as the wheel wells or the firewall, where they can enter and make a cozy nest.

Inspect your equipment before and throughout winter storage as well as before use in the spring to scout for rodent damage in hidden spaces. Don’t forget to check your filters, batteries, and tires for replacement or repair at the same time. Consider scheduling maintenance appointments in the off season for swift return before the equipment is needed again in full force.

 

 

Master Gardeners Win Community Service Project of the Year

Congratulations to the Fairfield County Master Gardener Volunteers for recently being awarded the Master Gardener Community Service Award for the “In the News” Blog.  Ohio State University Extension MGV Awards are given to those counties who exemplify excellence in their work with the MGV program.  “THE NEWS in Fairfield County”  Blog site was started as means of informing and empowering community members to become engaged in the OSU Programming efforts and activities of the Fairfield County Extension office.  But THE NEWS blog has become so much more.   It serves as the Foundation for sharing local news columns offering timely information on what to do in the lawn, garden, insects, soil conditions and more. In addition, video recordings and YOUTUBE recordings with Master Gardeners are shared for distribution on THE NEWS Blog.

During the outbreak of Covid 19, we struggled to find a good way to stay connected to our county residents with timely information.    OSU Extension in Fairfield County has weekly newscolumns in both the Lancaster Eagle Gazette and the Towne Crier.   In addition,  have a local radio show on WLRY 88.9FM The Saturday Morning Farm Page.  The creation of “THE NEWS in Fairfield County” blog would increase our reach of information we could create and share.  If you are interested in subscribing to the “THE NEWS in Fairfield County” blog site simply follow this link https://u.osu.edu/thenews/ and click on the subscribe button.  It is a free blog site that is maintained by staff at OSU Extension in Fairfield County.  You can also look at some of the archived newspaper articles and radio shows.  Be sure to check it out!

When you hear the term “gifts” what comes to mind first? Does an image of boxes wrapped in colorful paper adorned with ribbons and bows pop up? Join the Live Healthy Live Well 6-week “Unwrap Your Gifts” Email wellness Challenge to expand your thinking about the “gifts” in your life.

Along with the weekly Email message and a call to action for each week’s theme, we will be hosting a 5-part webinar series related to the Challenge content. For those who like to make a game of it, we will have a BINGO card for you to cross things off. You also have access to the OSU Live Healthy Live Well blog site and our OSU Family and Consumer Sciences Facebook Page all year long.

Register by clicking on this link  https://go.osu.edu/lhlwfairfield or contact  OSU Extension in Fairfield County at 740.653.5419.

Topics to be covered will include:

• Priceless Gifts
• Nutrition
• Mental Health
• Sustainability
• Self-Care
• Decluttering

Registration closes on October 28, 2022. Answer a few questions and you are ready to go. Online Pre- and Post-Challenge surveys will be used to track participant progress and comments. Expect a Pre-Challenge message the week of October 24th and the first challenge message the week of October 31st.

 

When the leaves on the trees start to change color and drop to the ground, it’s a sign that fall is here. It’s also a sign that it’s time to plant bulbs so you can have a bountiful splash of color to mark the start of spring.

The best time to plant bulbs is through October because the bulbs – especially daffodils — need time to root well before the ground freezes. During the summer, bulbs are in a dormant stage because the weather is warm. They need low temperatures to break them out of their dormancy and start growing.

When buying those bulbs look for bulbs that are dry and hard and try to buy the largest ones. The larger the bulb, the larger the flower.  When deciding where to plant your bulbs, make sure there will be adequate sunlight in the spring. Bulbs can be planted under deciduous trees, which will provide only partial shade in the spring. Be aware that planting bulbs in a southern location next to a foundation could induce the bulbs to emerge too early, resulting in freezing injury.

When planting your bulbs, follow the guide on the planting chart. The rule of thumb is a depth four times the height of the bulb between the soil surface and the tip of the bulb,. For example, hyacinths should be six inches or deeper and daffodils, six to eight inches deep. Large bulbs six inches apart and two inches apart for smaller bulbs.

To grow the best looking plants, add a complete fertilizer such as 5-10-10 to the soil at a rate of three pounds per 100 square feet.  Loosen the soil under the bulb and make sure there is plenty of drainage so the bulbs won’t be sitting in water. If the soil is a heavy clay, mix it with one-third to one-half organic material such as peat moss or compost.

Plant the bulbs with the growing tip up, or the pointy end up, think of a triangle when planting bulbs. For a greater effect, plant in clumps or irregular masses rather than singly.

Once planted, replace half the depth of soil, then water. Finish covering with soil and water again. If fall weather is dry, water as needed to promote good root development.

Mulch may be placed over newly planted areas once the soil has frozen to a depth of one to two inches. This keeps soil frozen and prevents alternate freezing and thawing, which may cause the soil to heave and injure newly planted bulbs.

Some bulbs are bothered by rodents, particularly squirrels, chipmunks, and mice. They dig and feed on (or store) tulip, Crocus and Lily. Daffodils and hyacinths are not bothered. If rodents are a problem, and only a few bulbs are to be planted, consider enclosing them in hardware cloth boxes (use 1/2 inch mesh), or lay a sheet of hardware cloth over the planted area before replacing soil. Bulbs may also be dipped in Ropel®, a taste repellent, before planting to repel rodents. In spring, rabbits feed on tulip and lily foliage. Chicken-wire enclosures or some of the taste repellents work fairly well.

 

 

Some plants should be left standing. After the first frost, pull out annuals and plant debris from the kitchen/herb  garden. Throw plants on the compost, except for any diseased material which should be bagged and placed in the trash. Don’t cut down perennials that add interest to the winter landscape: You might consider leaving ornamental grasses such as feather reed grass (Calamagrostis) with its tall plumes, and perennials such as blue false indigo (Baptisia australis) that has interesting elongated black seedpods. Some plants provide food for birds and you should not cut these down. For example, goldfinches love the seed heads of purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea). Overwintering birds find protection in plant stubs and ground covers. Many perennials help beneficial insects in winter by providing shelter from their predators. Don’t cut back marginally hardy plants like garden mums (Chrysanthemum spp.) as their tops help them survive the cold of winter. There is no need to cut back low-growing evergreen or semi-evergreen perennials such as hardy geraniums, heucheras, hellebores, and moss phlox. You must cut back plants diseased with powdery mildew such as bee balm (Monarda). Remember to destroy, not compost, diseased stems and leaves.