Ramsey County

October 16, 2006

Howdy!!!
Well pheasant hunting this past weekend and what a treat to not only get to hunt with Dad and my brother-in-law but to watch a dog work the birds with such great instinct.  There was times, Bob (my little springer), could not find a hit bird and most of that came from all the fuzz floating around from the cattails and also the fact that it was extremely dry.  I am telling you, if want a good work out try walking those miserable things.  They are especially thick this year and make for a tiring day for an “old fat” guy.  I made the whole day, however and even got back to the north land for a long day working in the yard.  It was such a nice day on Sunday and just plain run out of daylight but when the dust settled I was a played out guy last night.

As a reminder of my trimmings from the grass last night made me think of mulching your vegetable or flower garden.  Leaves are alright to place on the soil but we do need to think about the herbicides we placed on the grass throughout the growing season as we could have a serious impact on planted garden seed the following spring.  There are herbicides that do have a carry over period before planting of particular crops should be planted.  So, make sure what you sprayed on your grass before you assume to use those clippings in the garden.

Another thought for the lawn owner, it is too late to be applying any fertilizer or water the lawn has been froze off from the killing frost and can not absorb any nutrients from that point forward.  But we do need to remember to water very good those trees, shrubs and esp. arborvitae as winter injury can and will occur. 

As I mentioned in last weeks article it is a very good time of year to be checking your gardens for nutrients.  A quick soil sample will tell you a lot about the needs of your gardens for the following year and as always added compost is always a good thing for your gardens.  It adds tilth and creates a soil structure that increases nutrient levels.

Calendar!!
            November 16                           Farmer’s night out
            November 30                           Rancher’s night out
            November 30                           Cattle feedout entries delivered to L.R. Livestock  

524 4th Ave NE #5, 2nd Floor Ramsey County Courthouse
Devils Lake  ND  58301
701-662-7027
email - ramsey@ndsuext.nodak.edu

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