Keep things Interesting

Just because it is winter does not mean it has to look like it. We keep something happening here at The Yankee Gardener's home all year long. We love to decorate for Christmas even though we have no kids left living at home with us now. We see lots of other people bringing their kids by to view the lights. It takes us the better part of three days to dig everything out and set it all up. The power company just loves us for the month of December. It is all worth it when you see people stop and take pictures. Even before we got it all up and going this year we had people stop and express their amazement at the amount of work we put into our display. What you see in the picture is only a small part of the display. Christmas is a very special time of the year and we should all take some time to sit back and be thankful for our families and wish everyone a happy time. Just getting out and putting up a display shows people how much you care for others. They quickly realize that the display you put up is meant for them to enjoy. Getting out and doing the display is also great for you. That time of year we tend to stay inside and not get the fresh air and exercise we need. It is really a lot of fun and we encourage you to try it even if the display is small it is what you are doing for others that really counts. Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

Ready Your Garden Tools for Winter

In the northern part of the country it is rapidly approaching time to button things down for the winter. You invest good hard earned money in all of your garden tools and lawn tools too. It does not take a lot of time to protect those tools for the winter months but in those short few months those same tools can rust at an alarming pace. A short amount of time with a piece of sandpaper can ready those tools for some well deserved oil or paint to protect the metal parts for the winter. While you are at it why not sharpen any tools that require sharpening before applying oil or paint to their surfaces.

One more trick we use here in the northeast is an old trick my Grandfather taught me when I was very young and I still use it today. Almost all tools have wooden handles. Wood does have a tendency to dry out naturally over time. It is just the nature of it's construction. Without the tree roots to supply moisture to any piece of wood it will dry out. You can treat the outside to help it retain some of it's moisture but eventually it will lose some of that protection and the wood will do what it knows best once again, dry out. Well here is a very easy solution that will only take you minutes to do and it only needs to be repeated a couple times a year and will extend the life of your tools by many years.

Take an extra long drill bit, usually about a 1/4" bit will be good enough. Go straight to the very end of the handle and drill in the very center parallel to the length of the handle as far into the handle as the bit will allow. The deeper the better and you will understand that better in a few seconds. You now have a 1/4" hole directly in the center of the handle down about 5 inches or so. You will also need some 1/4" furniture plugs like they use in wooden furniture to cover the screw holes to plug the end of the tool handle. Fill the hole you just drilled with some Linseed oil and cap off the hole with the furniture plug. Stand the tool on end so gravity can do it's job and naturally let the oil work down through the handle. The oil will keep the handle from drying out and keep it somewhat flexible. More good tools have been tossed in the dumpster because of a simple broken handle.

People have gotten used to the inexpensive tools and the ease of just replacing them when the break a handle. My tools are good and trusted friends to me and I like to take as good care of them as the do me. They make my gardening easy and enjoyable so I feel I owe it to them to take a few minutes out of my time and keep them clean and well oiled and sharp. Clean sharp tools will make a job go smoothly and it is also easier on the tools if they are in good working order. Try this out on the next rainy weekend and you will see next spring that your efforts will have rewarded you.

Getting ready for winter

If you have not started yet, it is never to soon for people in the Northeastern part of the country to get thing ready for the long, cold, often snowy, winters we have here. Make some simple plant covers out of light plywood to protect your investment in those beautiful plants (and yes even the established plants) you have nurtured through the year. A good feeding before they go to bed will only insure when they wake up in the spring, that they have a head start.

For any new young trees you may have planted, please make sure to wrap the trunks right down to the ground to keep the mince from girdling them which will surely result in them dying on you. They need that layer to direct their food to the branches. Some plants can even be sprayed with a light vegetable oil to help protect the foliage from insects and diseases.

You spend a lot of money and time on your labor of love. Why not protect that and leave nothing to chance? After all you did bring them to your garden for a reason. You obviously saw something in them that you liked, and brought them to their new home. A small bit of effort will ensure that you will enjoy them for many years to come. We have more info being added on our web site constantly about the care and health of your garden and the plants in it. We also have resources to some great ebooks for care of fruit trees. Check those out at Yankee Gardener Info

Keep an eye out for more new info on a regular basis and leave us a comment at the web site letting us know if we can help you find something you are looking for.