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October is upon us and the stores already have Christmas decorations up. I really wish they would wait until after Halloween. I have been busy bringing in my houseplants that have spent the summer outside. In addition, the shrubs that came with the house 16 years ago are now gone—thankfully. My mums are beginning to bloom. Even the ones reduced to sticks from the June hailstorm have bounced back with buds. How resilient plants can be! I hope you are also enjoying the cooler days of autumn. Happy gardening!

Text Box: Whoever can make two ears of corn or two blades of grass grow upon a spot of ground where only one grew before deserves better of mankind, and does more essential service to his country, than the whole race of politicians put together.
Jonathan Swift
Gulliver’s Travels

Melissa’s Monologue – for September

Thankfully, the weather has returned to more normal conditions and autumn officially begins on the 22^nd. I look forward to the comfortable days and cooler nights. I am going to attempt to grow some fall vegetables like lettuce and other cool season crops. For whatever reason(s), I have never utilized the “third” growing season. It will be a learning experience I’m sure. If nothing else it gives me a good excuse to clean up the dead/dying plants that didn’t make it through our tough summer. Give some thought to making the most of the pleasant weather to plant veggies or some beautiful spring bulbs.

Club Elections in November

Just a reminder that club election of officers will be held at the November 20^th meeting. If you would like to learn more about a specific office or are interested in serving, please contact Melissa or Linda, immediate past president. All offices are open to club members.

Congratulations

Julie Bird is the newest grandmother in our club. Son Jeff and daughter-in-law Lalitha, had a daughter who they named Jaya Shree. She was born September 11, 2003. She weighed 8 pounds and 4 ounces. They are all doing great.

Thank you Received

A thank you note expressing gratitude for the garden area at the Blackbob Library has been received from Sue Collard. “I have so enjoyed your garden this year, thank you.” For all of you who have spent time weeding and maintaining the area, your work was not in vain.

Calendars Available

A limited number of 2004 Gardeners of America Calendars are available for $3 each. They should be available by the September meeting and make great holiday gifts for your gardening friends.

Spring Bulb Orders

Once again, for those who are interested, members of our club can get spring bulbs by the box at wholesale cost. Stuifbergen Bloembollen, a Holland bulb exporter based out of Lee’s Summit, has set up an account for our club. As an added bonus this year, their website, www.stuifbergenbulb.com has pictures of all the available bulbs for sale—including tulips, daffodils, muscari and lycoris—552 varieties in all. In addition, bloom time and height are also included. All that is needed to view price per box is the account name: mhanlin@mail.planetkc.com and the password. The password is not included here since our newsletter is on the web, however you can get it from Melissa. A price sheet and color catalog is also available from Melissa if you prefer to shop that way. Just let her know. Keep in mind that this is wholesale cost and many bulbs come in boxes of 50 or 100 or 250. Find a gardening friend or two and split the box. It’s a great deal for quality spring bulbs! Orders need to be into Melissa by September 18 (meeting date) and the bulbs will be delivered the following week.

If you’re thinking of daffodils, give Melissa a call, as she would like to split a box with someone and isn’t picky on the color or variety

Oct. 2 “Fall Color in your Garden” Gardener Public Library JoCoMG 7pm

Oct. 16 October OGOA Meeting – Structures in the Garden Johnson County Master Gardeners 7pm

Oct. 23 “Pruning” Olathe Main Public Library 7pm

Nov. 20 November OGOA Meeting – Organic Gardening 7pm

Dec. 6 & 7 Holiday Luminary Walk @ Overland Park Arboretum
5:00-9:00pm

Dec. 11 OGOA Annual Potluck Banquet & Officer Installation 6:30pm

Recap of the August Program

"Square-Foot Gardening", given by Mylan Ross, Johnson County Extension Master Gardener.

In traditional vegetable patches, plants are grown in long rows, the width of one single plant, with paths for access between each row. In square-foot gardening, a bed is created that is up to 4' wide (so that you can reach into the bed comfortably without stepping into it), and can be as long as you want, and each square foot is fully planted. This is a more efficient use of space, as the space for paths between rows is eliminated. Weeding is also reduced because the ground is thickly planted.

Plants or seeds are set out with the recommended distance between them. Generally in square-foot gardening, plants are set out 1 per square foot, 4 per square foot (divide 1 foot into 4 squares), 9 per square foot, (divide 1 foot into 9 squares) or 16 per square foot (divide 1 foot into 16 squares). Lettuce, peppers, and tomatoes are examples of plants that are set out 1 per square foot. (The tomatoes are grown on vertical supports, which are easily made from PVC pipe and connectors). Parsley, leaf lettuce, Swiss chard, and celery can be grown 4 plants per square foot. Bush beans and spinach can be grown 9 plants per square foot. Beets, carrots, onions, and radishes can be grown 16 plants per square foot.

Square-foot gardening is usually done in raised beds. This is helpful as you can start out using good soil, rather than working amendments into your soil. You can have raised beds with sides constructed of wood, stone, or brick, or you can just make a raised mound. A raised mound without sides will probably not erode very much during the growing season, depending on the weather; but it may erode considerably every winter and you may need to build it up every spring. A raised bed, made with good humus tends to act as a sponge and soak up rain; plus the roots of your plants hold it together. You may find that raised beds dry out quickly and need to be watered more.

Summary of September's meeting

Miles Raymond, founder and life-member of the OGOA, presented us with a program on "Wine Making". Miles brought several kinds of fruit, and we split into groups to prepare the fruit to be made into wine. He brought containers that were at each stage of the wine-making process, and showed us what needed to be done at each stage.

Any fruit can be made into wine; Miles brought many different kinds for us to sample such as peach, grape, elderberry, apple, and more. Oranges, bananas, tropical fruits, rhubarb, can all be made into wine.

4. Strain the pulp out and funnel the liquid into a jug; cover the top with a balloon.

5. The balloon will swell with gases; open it occasionally and allow gases to escape. Allow the wine to sit for 3 months.

6. Siphon out the settled wine into a fresh container, throwing away the grunge in the bottom. You may finish your wine now or you may cover it with a balloon and let it sit for another 3 months.

7. Siphon out the settled wine into a fresh container, throwing away the grunge in the bottom. Top with a cork or cap.

For more information, Miles recommended a book called "The Art of Making Wine", by Stanley F. Anderson and Raymond Hull.

Octobers Probram

In October, Johnson County Extension Master Gardener Bernie Armstrong will speak to us about "Structures in the Garden".

Plants That Came In From The Cold

As chilly overnight temperatures become the norm you will need to bring your winter houseplants back inside. When you do, make sure to check them for pests. Simply rinsing the plants' leaves, and soaking the pots in water for 15 to 20 minutes will drown most soil-dwelling pests. Also, clean the windows where plants will be placed. It can dramatically increase available sunlight and make for a much healthier plant!

Time to Plant Spring-flowering Bulbs

Late September through October is an excellent time to plant spring-flowering bulbs such as crocus, tulips and daffodils. These plants need to develop roots in the fall and must meet a chilling requirement over the winter in order to bloom in the spring.

Choose a planting site that has full sun to partial shade. The ideal soil would be a sandy loam, but even poor soils can be used if organic material such as peat moss, compost, or aged bark is mixed in. For example, a heavy clay can be amended by mixing in one-third to one-half organic material. Soil pH should be between 6.0 and 7.0.

Bulbs need good aeration as well as good drainage for proper development. It is best if the bulbs are given 12 inches of prepared soil. If one-third organic material were added, this would require mixing 4 inches of organic material with 8 inches of soil. Incorporate about 3 pounds of a complete fertilizer such as a 5-10-5 per 100 square feet during preparation or fertilize according to soil test.

Planting depths vary depending on the size of the bulbs. For example, tulips and hyacinths are set about 6 inches deep, and daffodils are put 6 to 8 inches deep. Smaller bulbs are planted shallower. As a rule of thumb, bulbs are planted two to three times as deep as their width. Planting depth is the distance from the bottom of the bulb to the top of the soil.

Large bulbs are normally spaced 4 to 6 inches apart, and small bulbs about 1 to 2 inches. Planting in clumps or irregular masses produces a better display than planting singly.

After placing the bulbs at the proper depth, replace half the soil and add water. This will settle the soil around the bulbs and provide good bulb/soil contact. Add the remaining soil and water again. Although there will be no top growth in the fall, the roots are developing, so soil needs to be kept moist but not wet. Mulch can added after the soil has frozen to prevent small bulbs from being heaved out of the soil by alternate freezing and thawing. (WU)

Pumpkins- Storing, Decorating, and Carving

Pumpkins should be 'cured' after harvest by placing them in a warm, dry location for a week or so. This toughens the outer skin or rind, dries the stem, and heals over scratches or scrapes that happen during the harvest. If the pumpkin rind is hard, water will not be lost and the pumpkin will not shrivel. Some varieties of pumpkins have a tougher skin than others. Thin-skinned pumpkins can be kept longer with a light coating of floor wax or auto wax applied to the surface (avoid using any oily material because it will attract dust and dirt to the surface).

Carving the pumpkin causes the pumpkin to shrivel and begin to rot on the cut surfaces. Carve the pumpkin just a day or so before you want to display it. Keep it in a cool location to prevent excessive drying. Applying a coating of hair spray to the cut surfaces will slow down drying to some degree. There are some commercial preparations that can be sprayed on the surface as well that contain disinfectant to prevent rotting and a light surface coating to prevent drying.

Many people prefer to paint faces on the pumpkins rather than carve them to extend their use. Brightly colored acrylic paints work well. (CWM)

Olathe Gardeners of America

Melissa’s Monologue