by Dana Santasiero There’s a new bug in Western New York and there are two main things you need to know about it. First, the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is called a stink bug because when you step on it, it smells. Second, it could eat the plants in your garden. The good news is even though it is big and ugly, it won’t hurt you. You might find it in your house over the winter but it’ll just be…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Ray Crawley and his family usually take their Christmas tree down around Jan. 1, but last year the tree was looking so good, they left it up until almost February. “I guess it’s like a flower arrangement,” Crawley said. Since it stayed fresh, they decided to enjoy it a little longer. Crawley is store manager at the family-owned Goodman’s Farm Market, 2227 Cayuga Drive Extension, Niagara Falls. Here’s how he kept his Christmas tree fresh so…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko I saw a few snowflakes fluttering in the air yesterday evening, but you may live in an area of Western New York that got some snow accumulation. And all of us gardeners have experienced cold temperatures. A lot of us were caught off guard by overnight lows in the teens and brisk daytime temperatures. Just last week we could putter in the garden without a jacket! While we may see some milder temperatures this week, winter…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko If you are using a straw bale in your autumn decorations, don’t throw it away! You can grow tomatoes and other vegetables in it next spring. I saw photos of the technique called straw bale gardening on the Vegetable Gardeners of WNY Facebook page. I was delighted that Gina and Tony Kruzel allowed me to visit their Kenmore home early in October to see what they had done. They decided to try straw bale gardening because…...
Here’s a question from a reader: Is it necessary or advised to cut gladiolus down before winter? Thank you. I enjoy reading your tips. Diane Wacker Town of Tonawanda I was surprised by this question. It never occurred to me that you might cut off the foliage; I thought you were supposed to bring in your gladiolus bulbs for the winter. Since I’m not a gardening expert, I asked my friend David Clark, who is a nationally known garden educator,…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko What a forecast! For the next few days, it’s supposed to be unseasonably warm in Western New York, with highs in the high 60s– even 70s– Fahrenheit. That’s too good to miss. Need an excuse to get outside and enjoy this great November weather? Here are 11. Prepare for spring by taking photos of your garden now There probably aren’t many flowers in your garden right now, but that’s why this is a good time to snap…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko This has been a gorgeous autumn with a wonderful display of autumn leaves. Now that those leaves are falling, let’s put them to use. Crunch them for compost or mulch If you have a lawn mower with a bag on it, it’s easy for you to crunch up and collect your fallen leaves. If you don’t have a bag, rake your leaves onto a concrete or asphalt driveway, then go over them with the lawnmower. That…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko It’s the time of year to harvest sunchokes, also known as Jerusalem artichokes, and for me to share them with local gardeners. I’ll give you some for free, but there’s one catch. You have to pick them up or get someone you know to pick them up. I don’t want to have to mail them. I’m in the Eggertsville area of Amherst. If you don’t get out this way, you probably have a neighbor or cousin…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko What’s up with this warm weather in Western New York? We can’t predict these things with 100 percent accuracy, but because of El Niño, it looks like we are going to have a mild autumn and early winter, said John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Niagara County. Our winter may not be as cold as the two previous winters have been, “which would be nice for a change,” he added. We may not…...
by Connie Oswald Stofko Is it safe to use cinder blocks in a raised bed, or might chemicals from the concrete blocks leach out of the blocks to contaminate your soil and food plants you grow there? Can you use pressure treated lumber? Can you grow food plants in the hellstrip, the area between the street and sidewalk? John Farfaglia, extension educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Niagara County, responded to my questions on soil safety. Cinder blocks in raised…...
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