2019 Fall Home & Garden

Page 28 2019 Fall Home & Garden Video Magazine Lincoln Daily News Sept. 26, 2019 Included in the video is advice on what chemicals to have on hand along with hand sprayers. While there is a push to keep life natural and not use chemicals, in the garden sometimes the best defense against pests and weeds are to take those offensive chemicals to the garden and give everything a good spray. Another gadget that is great to have is the garden clips shown in the video. The narrator noted that they are great for attaching climbing plants to fence wire or posts. Locally, there is one gardener who uses these clips by the hundreds in his tomato garden. He puts the clip around the stem of the tomato plant as it grows and attaches the clip to a string stretched between metal posts. The plants stay off the ground, they grow straight and in rows and at harvest time, the fruit is easy to see and easy to pick. Extra tip – for large tomato gardens, if you want to use this method, the best string to use is plastic baler twine sold at the local Big R in Lincoln. The tools mentioned in the video are also ones that are known to some local gardeners. The stirrup hoe is a great tool for scraping weeds between plants. It does not disturb the soil between the plants, and it keeps the garden area looking nice a neat. The garden hoe is also a good tool to have for the garden. Note that it is very different from the leaf rake seen earlier. It is different because it’s purpose is different. A garden hoe can be used for cultivating the soil lightly with a dig of no more than a couple of inches. It is great for spreading mulch and also aerating mulch from time to time. The key to any garden is having the right tool for the job, especially in turning the soil or cultivating. Cultivating is a season long process. Throughout the gardening season avid gardeners know that the soil cannot be ignored if you want healthy hardy plants. Breaking up soil to allow moisture to reach the roots of the plants is important. Continued n