|
|
| |  | |
| Homestead Magazine Fall 2008 : Country Views |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Diesel Fuel Basics
First the good news. Diesel fuel has a
longer shelf life than gasoline. "In an
approved container, you can store diesel
for a year, no problem," says Stan
Cuzick, service manager of Fisher Implement,
the John Deere dealer in McMinnville, Ore.
"With gasoline, you should add a stabilizer if
it will sit in a tank for more than a month."
Acids in the crankcase. But Cuzick has a special concern with diesel engines, especially engines that sit idle all winter—bad oil. "The sulfur in diesel fuel can cause acids to build up in engine oil," he cautions. "Get your oil changed regularly. And if a tractor will sit idle during winter, don’t wait. A fall oil change is much better for your engine than leaving old oil, and any accumulated acids, in the crankcase all winter."
Veggie Storage
The reward for being a great gardener
can be an overabundance of fall
produce. What’s a grower, or the
farmer’s market shopper, to do? Find
the right storage environment, recommends
Cindy Tong, Extension horticulturalist at the
University of Minnesota.
"Different vegetables require different
storage environments," she notes. "You can
divide these environments into three general
categories—cool and dry (50 to 60°F, 60%
relative humidity); cold and dry (32 to 40°F,
65% relative humidity); and cold and moist
(32 to 40° F, 95% relative humidity). If you
can’t get the right storage environment for
your harvest, you should lower your expectations
on how long produce will keep."
For a list of which vegetables do best in
which storage environment, do a Web search
for "storing garden vegetables."
Picture perfect. Nicked, bruised, or damaged fruits or vegetables won’t last long even in the perfect environment, cautions Tong. "Winter squash will last much longer if some of the stem remains attached," she adds.
Plant This Fall
If you procrastinated on that list of trees or
shrubs you wanted to plant this year, don’t
despair—fall is actually a great time to
plant. "Roots will grow as long as the soil
temperature is 40 degrees or higher," says
Douglas Welsh, Extension horticulturalist at
Texas A&M University. "Planting potted or
balled-and-burlapped trees and shrubs in
fall allows root systems time to develop and
become established. When spring arrives, the
expanded root systems can support and take
advantage of the full surge of spring growth."
Not so, bare-root. This advice, however, does not apply to bare-root plants. "All bare-root plants, including roses and fruit trees, should be planted when they are completely dormant," recommends Welsh.
|
|
|
|
