Madison Messenger - April 19th, 2020

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PAGE 8 - MADISON MESSENGER - April 19, 2020 www.madisonmessengernews.com To learn more about the Madison County Master Gardeners program, call the OSU Extension Office, (740) 852-0975. #1 in CENTRAL OHIO GILBERTS Masonry/Restoration Co. 614-946-8871 Lic.-Bonded-Insured 32 Years in Business • Brick • Block • Stone • Cultured Stone • Stucco • Concrete • Tuck Pointing • Chimney Work • Glass Block Windows • Basement Waterproofing Free Estimates By Linda Granger Madison County Master Gardener CHECK OUT OUR **** FRIDAY SPECIALS **** NOW THRU SEPTEMBER 25, 2020 Buy 10 Bags of Softener Salt & Get One FREE! (pickup only) Hours: Mon.-Fri. 7:30 am - 4:00 pm (740) 852-3709 - (888) 852-3709 731 Rt. 42 S.W., LONDON, OHIO CALL FOR DETAILS It’s a new age for vegetable gardening Due to COVID-19, we all have had restrictions placed on our food supply one way or another. Many of us are using grocery delivery services with mixed success. Some are still venturing out, masked and gloved, to groceries and carryouts, seeking meals. What has become apparent is that we all have basic needs during this crisis: shelter, food and ….toilet paper! Alas, we won’t discuss the TP situation, but we can dive into easy ways to assist with food supply. While many food stuffs can only be purchased in grocery stores, we can grow many healthy and delicious fresh foods at home—even in small urban settings. You don’t need fancy soil, containers or fertilizers. You can create gardens using cattle water troughs, wheelbarrows or flowerbeds. My personal favorite is incorporating herbs into the landscaping around my home. At dinnertime, I can snip some chives for baked potatoes, or grab a handful of oregano for an Italian dish. Below are some of the easiest garden items to plant, grow and enjoy. If you don’t have seeds or bedding plants on hand, retailers and hardware stores do and might even deliver them to your doorstep. Herbs Some of the easiest plants to grow are herbs. Many are perennial in our region, except for rosemary and basil. In general, they love full sunlight. They require little care once they are established; just be sure to water them well the first few weeks. They are delicious and much less expensive than the bottled/dried herbs at the store. A few easy-care options are: • Dill—Great on fish and potatoes. A butterfly caterpillars love it, too. A win-win. Tall grower. • Cilantro—Outstanding in Mexican dishes, soups and salads. Super easy to grow. Happily reseeds if left to go to seed. Coriander are the seeds of this plant. • Oregano—Perfect in Italian dishes. Low growing. • Thyme—A very versatile herb used in many foods. Low-growing and dainty. • Rosemary—Delicious and pungent. Smaller shrub-like shape. Fragrant when Want to grow your own veggies? Tomatoes and basil are some tried and true options. crushed. • Basil—Easily make your own pesto with this tall growing herb. • Mint—Delicious in drinks and with meat. Beware: Very invasive. Grow in containers unless you want it throughout your garden. Vegetables The easiest to grow, mainstay vegetables are listed below. They don’t take a huge amount of room and don’t need a lot of maintenance. Hundreds more are available, but these top my list of musthaves: • Tomatoes—So many varieties. Any tomato is a good tomato. Google instructions on planting tomatoes. Be careful not to water foliage, and provide good spacing and support. You need breathing room for these prolific producers. • Carrots—For a low depth area, mini carrots are available. Be sure to thin out seedlings to allow room to grow. Butterfly caterpillars like the green tops. Another win-win • Sugar snap peas and green beans— So easy to grow. Need room to climb. Wonderful producers. Just pick off the vine, and they’re ready to eat. • Lettuce and spinach—Cool weather lovers. Trim the leaves, don’t pull the plant, and you will a have a constant salad supply. Hostas: Splash of color in shade By Barbara J. Myers Madison County Master Gardener Have a shady spot in your yard begging for color? Why not add hosta? Before you ask, “Why would I want a green hosta in that spot?”, let me introduce you to some of the interesting breeding coming out of the hosta world. Hostas are native to Japan, Korea and China. They were first imported and grown in Europe in the late 1700s and, by the mid-1800s, were growing in the United States. First, let’s talk about finding and growing hosta. You can find older cultivars in the $5 to $10 price range, while newer introductions can be found for $15 to $35. Unusual cultivars can be very expensive. An example is “First Blush,” the first hosta with red in the leaves. When introduced, it was $150 a plant. Once planted, hosta require little care. If hosta are planted under a tree, the tree will compete for moisture, making it harder for the hosta to get established. “Empress Wu” was the largest to date when introduced a few years ago. I purchased one and put it under a spruce in the back bed. It never got established because the tree kept sucking up all the water I put on the hosta. I learned to keep the plants at the tree line for better success. Those in a bed not competing with trees do wonderfully. So, back to the colors. You can find green, green with white edge, white with green edge, yellow with edge colors of white or green, blue, and even a white leaf hosta. Some leaves are streaked and some are spotted, like the one aptly named “Spilt Milk.” Hosta plant size ranges from mini to giant. It is important to read the tag and know the mature size of the plant you purchase so you won’t be cutting it back or digging it up in a couple of years. Once established, hosta can last almost forever. Try some of the new varieties and colors. You will be pleasantly surprised. Check out the education tab at americanhostasociety.org for more information.
www.madisonmessengernews.com April 19, 2020 - MADISON MESSENGER - Page 9 Four DIY projects to save energy and money Home renovations can have a positive effect on resale value, make homes more livable for residents and, in some ways, make homes more affordable. Renovation projects that aim to conserve energy can save homeowners money. Such projects don’t often require How much can I save? Homeowners who install low-e windows can save between 12 percent and 33 percent on their annual heating and cooling costs. Project: Seal uncontrolled air leaks What is it? Air leaks let cool air in during winter and warm air in during considerable effort or sizable fi- summer. Caulking, sealing and nancial investments, which can make homeowners skeptical as to just how much they can save after completing the project. But the scale of a project may have little to do with how much homeowners will save. For example, the U.S. Department of Energy notes that an easy task, like turning back a thermostat seven to 10 degrees for eight hours per day, can save homeowners as much as $83 per year. A more labor-intensive task, like Sealing air leaks can save homeowners 10 percent to weather stripping all cracks and large openings can cut back on air leaks that are costing you money. The DOE recommends hiring a contractor to seal any leaks on heating and cooling ducts. How much can I save? Homeowners who seal uncontrolled air leaks can save between 10 percent and 20 percent on their annual heating and cooling bills. Project: Plant shade trees What is it? If you plant a deciduous planting shade trees, saves homeowners between $35 and $119 per year. heating and cooling bills. near your home, it will begin to shade 20 percent on their annual tree between six feet and eight feet tall The following are energy-saving projects and details about what homeowners can expect to save after completing them. While each individual project may not result in jaw-dropping savings, homeowners who follow many of these recommendations may end up saving more than $1,000 per year. Project: Install exterior low-e storm windows What is it? Low-e windows reflect infrared heat back into a home. Such windows are coated with an ultrathin layer of metal that improves the window’s insulation ability. your windows within a year of being planted. Depending on the species of the tree and the home, the shade tree will begin shading the roof within five to 10 years. The DOE notes that shading is the most cost-effective way to reduce air conditioning costs. How much can I save? Properly planted shade trees can reduce air conditioning costs by anywhere from 15 percent to 50 percent. Project: Insulate the water heater tank What is it? New water tanks are likely already insulated. But homeowners with older hot water tanks can Give adequate breathing room insulate their tanks with a water heater insulating blanket kit. How much can I save? Insulating a water heater tank can save homeowners up to 16 percent on their annual water heating bills. HOME-AUTO-BUSINESS CHANEY & THOMAS INSURANCE Since 1927 Call your Local Independent Agent for a quote! 104 Lafayette St., London, OH 43140 740-852-2323 Representing The Cincinnati Insurance Co. ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY for Deeann, Ty, Gloria, Ty, Tina Tina cntinsurance@live.com ADVANCED ANCED COMFORT People are comfortable around us. By Karen Stombaugh Madison County Master Gardener Did you know that the foundation of your home needs breathing room? Has that pretty one-quart container plant become so large it is brushing against the house and scratching the siding? Too little space between plantings and your home can result in tight damp areas with little or no air circulating around the home’s foundation—and that can encourage molds, mildew and other pests to reside close enough to penetrate your home. By planning for future plant growth before planting, you ensure good air circulation which, in turn, helps to prevent damp conditions, plant disease, pests and, hopefully, home repairs. When adding vegetation around your home or revising an existing foundation bed, allow for two feet of the mature plantings’ edges to be away from your home’s foundation. This space provides not only room for root growth with less possible damage to the house’s foundation but also allows for good air circulation for the planting which will help it to stay healthy. Continued dampness provides an environment that can promote wood decay in the structure of your home. Increased spacing of plantings away from the foundation also can prevent shrub branches from growing under the siding. When choosing plants for around your house, read the plant label for the projected mature size (height and width). Allow space for the plant’s mature size, plus additional space to provide good air circulation. Additionally, if a plant is projected to become tall and is planted below a window, the mature plant touching the window exterior could provide easy access around window openings for pests to enter your home. Many homes need periodic, if not annual, power washing to remove mold or algae that grows on the north side during long periods of wet, damp weather. Check the north side of the house or any shaded side of the house for green or dark spotting that could be mold or algae. Leaving open space provides enough room for maintenance persons with ladders to access the sides of the house without damaging the foundation plantings. If you already have plantings along your home, prune the sides of the plants against the house wall or foundation to increase air circulation. Only prune back up to 30 percent of the plant. Allowing your house to have good ventilation or air movement is just as important as plants having good air circulation. Good air circulation prevents a moist environment and should help to reduce diseases and unwanted pests. Plantings that look sparse the first year or two will be lush and full in the coming years. If you plant for future growth and give them room to grow and breathe, both your home and plants will thank you. NELSON & BALLL HEA ATING & COOLING 740-852-9696 132 E. Center Street, London, OH State ID#25864 • Free Estimates • Residential, Commercial, and Industrial • Factory-Trained rained Technicians • Licensed, Bonded, Fully Insu
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