Your Community Newspaper

Lumby, Lavington, Whitevale, Coldstream, Vernon & Cherryville

Your Community Newspaper

Lumby, Lavington, Whitevale, Coldstream, Vernon & Cherryville

Your Community Newspaper

Lumby, Lavington, Whitevale, Coldstream, Vernon & Cherryville

Fall Cleanup Continues!

Where Do Snowmen Keep Their Money? …In A Snow Bank!!

Fall has definitely arrived and over the last week frost snuck into our yards and gardens and as the days grow steadily colder and wetter the final push to finish up in the yard is upon us.  Slowly ripening  tomatoes can be harvested green to finish the process in boxes, they will still taste better than any store bought tomatoes but be sure to keep a close eye on them as some still can turn into unpleasant surprises.  I wash mine in a sink of water with a touch of bleach, this kills the bacteria on the exterior of the tomato and lowers the chance of them rotting in the box instead of ripening.   Some will not ripen as they are too immature so these  can be fried with rosemary, delicious, or made into a relish.  Also if the fruit gets too much frost it may cause them to rot instead of ripen so be sure to watch for frost warnings and cover them if you can’t get them off the plant yet.  Squash too can be washed off with water with a small amount of bleach this works so well that I still have good squash from last year in my cold room.  The herbs are done as well as any planting and bulb lifting and seed collecting, many things still to be done out there and fortunately the weather does remain moderately warm over  the next week with a fair amount of rain although I see a couple of very chilly nights.  The Farmers Almanac predicts a winter very much like last year temperature mostly moderate and most of the snow fall in the mountain areas.  Be sure to water your larger bushes and trees deeply for their long winters rest.  Be sure when you finish with your tools to clean them well with soap and water with a little bleach for good measure.  All plants that you bring into the house should be examined well for pests that you do not want overwinter, perhaps a good spray down with a soapy water would not be unwise.  You do not need an infestation on the rest of your house plants!  It is now time to get that garlic planted as there is still time for it to get established so it is ready to start its growth in spring.  

The leaves on our trees will now turn yellow more rapidly,  be sure to collect them  to use as mulch as it will help preserve moisture, protect plants and bulbs from freeze thaw conditions, and suppress weeds, fertilize as well as it looks real neat and tidy.  I find it hard to get everything I need to do in a day done, first you wait till its reasonably warm outside to start then a short time later its too dark to work.  LOL I should just be like a bear and hibernate for the winter. 

Our last day of the Lumby and District Market was this last Saturday.  It was a very cold start to the day but a touch of sunshine in the early afternoon made a huge difference.  Many of our die hard clients made it out to get their fruit and vegetables and perhaps a treat for themselves or a gift for a friend from among our gifted vendors.  Thank you all for your support this year and will look forward to when we meet again in spring.  Happy Thanksgiving to everyone I hope it was enjoyable one amidst a few family and friends.   Well, enough for now work is calling and so much to do!

Happy Gardening

Samantha Nason
BS Ranch & Greenhouses
250 547 6567 • samanthanason@hotmail.com

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