EMPTY NESTERS

Important Announcement

The MSN Groups service will close in February 2009. You can move your group to Multiply, MSN’s partner for online groups. Learn More

Windbreaks are rugged and weather resistant offering real protection for your property! Windbreaks protect farm buildings, feed lots and orchards from heavy snows and icy winds. They prevent erosion of valuable topsoil, reduce heating costs, cut down on snow removal, shelter livestock and provide a winter wildlife refuge.

Selection Tip: By selecting a good mix of varieties, you protect your stand against lasting damage by insect pests or disease. Planting Tip: Plant tallest trees in the middle, with shorter trees next to them and bushes or dense-needled evergreens on the outside facing the wind.

GROWER'S TIP:
Here are a few simple steps that will improve your whole gardening year.
Get a soil sampling box from your county extension office. It will include instructions on how to submit your soil sample for testing at a soil laboratory. This may be the most important step you take in preparing your garden for spring and for years of future use.
Check over your garden tools and machinery, sharpen and clean them. Check and change the oil in any tilling machines or mowers.
After your soil test results return, plan what amendments or fertilizers you will use.
Start a fertilization and maintenance routine. Jot down some notes on the special needs of your various crops, shrubs and flowers. Caring for them all season long will be easy if you have a simple checklist for tasks such as feeding and pruning.

GROWER'S TIP:

Let's talk tools!

A good pre-season project is to inventory your tools and make sure they are sharp, well oiled, clean and generally in good shape. It's also a good time to think about up-coming projects and whether or not you have the right tools for the job. Better to decide what you need now and hit a sale than realize at the last minute you need a hoe and rush out to buy it at full price. Here's a quick list of essential tools for different gardens:

Small Garden (under 100 sq. ft.)
Spading fork or shovel
Hoe
Trowel
Small sprayer or duster
Pointed stakes and labels
String and yardstick
Fertilizer
Fungicides and insecticides as desired
Sprinkling can
Compost, manure, peat moss, sawdust, or vermiculite

Medium Garden (100-1,000 sq. ft.)
Garden tiller
Hoe and trowel
Small sprayer
Pointed stakes and labels
String and yardstick
Fertilizer
Fungicides and insecticides as desired
Hose
Compost, manure, peat moss, sawdust, or vermiculite

Large Garden (1,000 sq. ft. and up)
Garden tractor
Hoe
Sprayer or duster
Wheel cultivator
Fertilizer spreader
Wheelbarrow
Pointed stakes and labels
String and yardstick
Fertilizer
Fungicide and insecticides as desired
Hose
Compost, manure, peat moss, sawdust, or vermiculite

Important Announcement The MSN Groups service will close in February 2009. You can move your group to Multiply, MSN’s partner for online groups. Learn More
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