The Whistling Gardener

by Steve Smith

Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville, located at 3915 Sunnyside Blvd., and a respected local expert on all things horticultural. You can reach Steve at 425-334-2002 or by e-mail at [email protected].

By now, most of us are turning our thoughts to the holidays. Halloween is over and Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Christmas is not too far away either. But the garden is always in need of some kind of attention. Granted, the lawns aren't growing much any more and the vegetable garden is done, but when we stop to think about what Mother Nature did to us the last two Decembers, most of us will want to outsmart her this time around. With a huge La Nina looming out there, we definitely need to be ready for the worst case scenario. Here is what we can do to prepare.

LAWNS: I don't know about you, but this fall my lawn went nuts. It grew so fast that I had to mow it twice a week and I hadn't even fertilized it. But now that the soils have cooled down, I think we are done with that kind of rampant growth. It is time to apply one last feeding. I am a big fan of the slow release organic fertilizers, but if your lawn isn't looking too sharp, give it a kick in the butt with some 21-7-14, then follow up in 6 weeks with the organic stuff. This is also a good time to apply lime. Lime is not a fertilizer but acts to chemically alter the soil so that good things can happen.

The only real turf disease issue for fall and winter is red thread. This is a fungus organism that attacks grass blades and turns them pinkish-red and shrivels them up like a thread. Bonide Infuse is a newer product that is very effective in controlling stubborn cases of red thread and isn't affected by lots of rain. Improving drainage and fertility will also help reduce this disease.

FRUIT TREES: Sanitation is the most important consideration for fruit tree health. Clean up all leaves and dispose of them properly. Spray stone fruits such as cherries, plums and peaches with a copper spray. For pears and apples use a sulfur spray if you can still find it. Otherwise just use copper. If all of this sounds too confusing, then simply buy some Bonide Orchard Spray which contains both sulfur and pyrethrum. This is a totally natural product and is completely safe for fruits and vegetables. It will control both diseases and insects. For extra protection you can follow up with an application of horticultural oil. The oil will suffocate any eggs or critters that are still hiding on or under the bark. Do your spraying this month when most of the leaves have fallen and again in late winter as the buds begin to swell.

FLOWERING TREES: Just like fruit trees, flowering trees benefit from good sanitation. Flowering cherries, pears and crab apples are susceptible to the same kinds of problems their fruiting counterparts are. Do the same kind of dormant spray routine I mentioned above and you should be in good shape.

VEGETABLES: This was truly a strange year for growing veggies. Many of us had to replant multiple times this spring. Cool season crops like lettuce, cabbage, carrots, beets and potatoes thrived in the cold and wet spring. But despite all the cold weather, my beans and corn and squash did very well. And my tomatoes, which I grow in a large empty greenhouse, are still producing.

If you haven't planted a fall crop of veggies, it's a good idea to spread a mulch over the soil. Any kind of quality compost will work, but my favorite is something called Soil Booster by Greenall. It is full of chicken manure and earthworm castings and works wonders in the garden. Spread it about an inch or two thick and mix it into the soil come spring.

CONTAINERS: Now that we have had a hard frost and many of the leaves are falling, it is time to remove those sad summer annuals and refresh our containers with pansies, winter hardy perennials, ground covers, shrubs and even small trees. These arrangements will look splendid all winter and come spring, you can remove them and plant them out in the yard. If you need to add some potting soil, try amending what you have with some of the above Soil Booster. It works great in containers too.

Next time we'll talk about roses, berries, grapes and kiwis, bulbs, perennials, general weed control and of course this La Nina winter they are forecasting. Get out and enjoy the occasional rays of sunshine and take care of the above tasks. There will be more in a couple of weeks!

Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville and can be reached at 425-334-2002 or online at [email protected].