(Marc Lester / ADN file)
When you write a weekly garden column, you can find yourself waking up in the middle of the night worrying that you forgot to pass on some really important information. Just as bad, and also just as sleep-depriving, is the fear of passing on wrong information.
Forgetting to tell folks it is garlic planting time, for example. Ouch! A major omission with yearlong consequences. How about forgetting to tell folks with outdoor sheds and greenhouses that they should be shored up with a few two-by-fours to handle possible crushing amounts of snow in the winter.
So go get that lumber now. If it makes you feel better, you can use it for as long as your plastic greenhouse or aluminum shed is around. Hopefully we won’t get so much snow that they are needed, but better safe than sorry. If you can find a really long pole to knock snow off spruce, grab it.
Now – not after the hard freezes come – is also the time to mark your driveway, walks and paths so you know where to remove snow and where to put it. Tomato stakes will do, especially if you wrap the tips with fluorescent tape. Fancy reflectors are great but a lot more expensive. Tall surveyor flags are probably the cheapest markers. These can be straightened out (and up) after being run over. All of these markers can be pushed into the ground this year without resorting to the portable drill.
I have no idea what the vole numbers are going to be, but I would be remiss if I didn’t suggest now would be a good time to wrap foil around the trunks of young trees, those up to 6 inches in diameter. Go from the ground up to 6 inches. Voles stick to the ground and won’t damage bark any farther up.
Now is when you should apply Plantskydd to trees and shrubs to keep moose at bay. The smell of this product, essentially blood meal, makes them think a wolf or bear has killed something and is in the area. They should avoid your yard (but you know moose!). This stuff does not spray well. Mix it and apply it with a paintbrush. What to paint? You know the rule: If a tree or shrub costs more than $20, a moose will eat it.
After your garden tools get cleaned up, oiled and put away (last chance to get those sprinklers and lawn toys), get the snow tools out. Your shovels should be small, not behemoth jobbies that can grab 3 feet of snow and give you a heart attack. Three-foot-wide and 1-foot-tall shovels are for pushing snow, not lifting it, and they are too big.
Ahh, since we are in the middle of global warming, you can plan on ice this winter. Stock up on magnesium or calcium chloride if you need a plant-safe ice melt. They are much safer than sodium chloride (salt) and won’t kill the lawn or shrubs near your walks and driveway. Sand is the perfect alternative and can be beneficial when swept onto the lawn next spring.
Jeff’s Alaska Garden Calendar
Alaska Botanical Garden: Whew. See for yourself.
Houseplants: Need light, more than we get. You know the pitch: Buy some lights. We garden indoors nine months a year.
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