Groundhog Day. On Tuesday we will observe Groundhog Day. We like to observe it because we don’t think it deserves a celebration. Groundhogs are rodents and we should treat them as such. Groundhogs are enemies of the garden and not weather prophets, even if they were, they would be false prophets. The reason we don’t see groundhogs in the daytime is because they sleep all day and eat your garden plants at night as well as dig holes in your lawn.
Here are three ways you can control these pesky critter: 1. Spray vegetable foliage with Epsom salts mixed with water and pour into a spray bottle. 2. While the leaves are still wet with the mist of Epsom salt, sprinkle red cayenne pepper on the foliage right from the can. 3. Scatter a few moth balls between the rows and let them get a snoot full to get them off and running. If all these measures fail, spray an application of groundhog repellent around the perimeter of the garden. You can purchase repellents at most hardware stores and garden shops.
Lettuce can be started in February. Lettuce is definitely a cold weather vegetable and with a little help from a protective plant cloth, you can enjoy a harvest of lettuce in 50 to 55 days. You can raise lettuce in a row or bed and it will thrive in the middle of winter. Packets of lettuce cost less than $2. You can choose from Iceburg, Buttercrunch, Grand Rapids, Green Ice, Oak Leaf, Red Sails, and many others. Plant the seeds in a furrow about two inches deep. Cover the seed with a layer of peat moss to retain moisture and apply a layer of Plant-Tone organic plant food and hill up soil on each side of the furrow and tamp down with a hoe blade. You can also set out lettuce plants and sow packets of lettuce seed in between the the lettuce plants for a double harvest of lettuce in the same row or bed.
Keeping vehicle windshields clean during winter months. You vehicle’s windshields take a beating all winter from road salt, slush, ice, snow, and grime. Make sure you keep plenty of washer fluid in the windshield washer. Use the kind that has deicer in it. Keep a durable scraper with a long handle and a brush on the other side under the seat to aid in keeping the windshield clear. Always clean the windows and rear vehicle window before getting on the highway. It is a great idea to keep an extra ice scraper in your vehicle in case the one you are using breaks. Once a week during winter, clean the wiper blades to remove debris from the road that builds up on the wiper blades.
Chicken salad casserole. This is an unusual casserole with great ingredients that the family will love. It has most of the ingredients that chicken salad contains and plenty of flavor. You will need:
1 cup of diced celery
1 cup of diced onion
1/2 stick light margarine
1 cup cooked Minute Rice
2 cups diced chicken breast
1 can diced mushrooms
1 cup sour cream
1 can Campbell’s cream of chicken soup
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 cup crushed corn flakes cereal
1/4 cup melted light margarine
Saute diced celery and onion in half stick margarine until tender. Cook chicken breast and dice. Add all ingredients except the corn flakes and 1/4 cup margarine. Pour into a large casserole or 13x9x2 inch baking dish or pan sprayed with Pam oven spray. Melt 1/4 cup margarine and mix in the corn flakes and sprinkle on top of the casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.
Filling feeders and checking birdbaths. The birds of winter are continuing to search for food and water. Water is extremely difficult for them to find in the dead of winter with many mud holes frozen as well as birdbaths. Keep the feeders refilled during the week and empty the ice from birdbaths each day when the temperature rises above freezing. Check them each day when ice forms in the baths. The source of water and food we provide will help them make it well through the cold winter.
Signs of spring in winter. Even with winter still with seven more weeks remaining, there are a few signs of spring in our midst. The heart-shaped leaves of the American violet are popping out of the cold winter soil. Hyacinths and jonquils are showing green spikes emitting from underneath layers of crushed leaves. The perennials on the porch and deck are showing signs of life and the Carolina Jasmine still has quite a few yellow blooms and the sweet fragrance of spring.
Grapevines and fruit trees can be pruned in February. Fruit trees and grapevines can be pruned in the month of February. Grapevines and fruit trees are dormant which will make shaping and pruning easier. Limbs, branches, and runners will be visible and pruning more effective. Pruning in February when trees and vines are dormant will promote a more productive harvest and quality fruits. Prune back all limbs that rub together and long water sprouts that reach out of the reach of a harvest. Try to choose a calm, sunny day with no wind to make the task easier.
Dormant oil spray. One calm and sunny February afternoon after fruit trees and grapevines have been pruned, apply a coat of dormant oil spray mixed with proper amount of water and placed in a sprayer. Spray the trees and vines from top to bottom until they are slick and shiny. Try to choose a day when no rain is forecast for several days to allow the oil spray to dry out.
February can be a month of hard freezes. Even with only 28 days, some of February’s nights and days can produce hard freezes, ice, and snow. This is not all that bad because a hard freeze will help kill off wintering insects and their egg and larvae as well as fungus and diseases in the soil.
Hoe-Hoe-Hoedown: “Supermarket gymnastics” — Americans are now getting stronger. Twenty-five years ago, it took two people to carry $45 with of groceries from the supermarket. Now a 5-year-old can do it!
“And God made” — In Sunday school they were teaching about God creating the heavens and the earth. Six-year-old Jody was interested about God making Eve from a rib of Adam. Later that week Jody’s mother noticed him laying on his bed as though he was sick. Mother said, “Jody, what’s wrong with you?” Jody replied, “I have a pain in my side. I think I’m going to have a wife!”
Definition of carsickness, it’s that feeling you get every month when the car payment comes due!
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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