Cover crops have been used for centuries by farmers to rejuvenate the soil. The use of cover crops in the home garden is often overlooked but is especially important because organic matter is constantly being depleted as we cultivate and harvest.

As you complete the harvest of your vegetables, leaving patches of ground bare, consider sowing these areas to annual rye grass, winter rye or winter wheat.

Prepare the soil as you would for any general grass seeding and broadcast the seed at a moderate rate. Keep the area moist until the seed germinates. A light covering of grass clippings as a mulch will aid in retaining moisture.

Allow the crop to grow a minimum of four to six weeks before a hard frost is expected, then turn or till it into the ground. If you are using winter rye or wheat, you can delay the tillage until spring. Using this practice over a period of several years should result in a definite improvement to your overall soil structure.

- from the University of Minnesota

University of Illinois Extension is once again presenting the Four Seasons Gardening program. Three seminars for each of the four seasons are offered. Each seminar features a color slide presentation accompanied by the voice of the instructor as people from all over the state participate. The topics and dates for August and September are:

Controlling Garden Weeds - Is crabgrass making you crabby? Bindweed got you in a bind? Perhaps nutsedge is driving you nuts? Weeds can quickly put you and your plants under stress. Learn how to control common garden weeds in this session presented by Michele Wiesbrook, U of I Extension horticulture Educator.

The program is offered on Tuesday, Aug. 14 at 1 pm, and again on Thursday Aug. 16 at 7 pm.

Vegetable Insect Pests – Is something eating your vegetables before you get a chance to? Insects can ruin your plans for fresh veggies.

This program, presented by Jim Schuster, U of I Extension horticulture educator, discusses some of the common insects found in home vegetable gardens along with proper control techniques.

The program is offered on Tuesday, Sept. 11 at 1 pm and again on Thursday, Sept. 13 at 7 pm.

Household Insect Pests – Ants, cockroaches, bed bugs, crickets, spiders, and other pests like to invade our homes. Learn about effective control methods–for doing you own pest control or making sure your pest control company is using proper methods. The program is presented by Phil Nixon, U of I Extension specialist.

It will be offered on Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 1 pm and repeated on Thursday, Sept. 27 at 7 pm.

All seminars will be presented at each County Office. There is a fee of $3 pre-registration is required.

The Help Desk hours continue throughout September. In Jo Daviess they are 9 to 10 am on Mondays and Thursdays and in Carroll they are 1 to 2 pm on Mondays and Thursdays. Help Desks are part of the Master Gardener Mission to "help others learn to grow. And check out the Jo-Carroll Unit website at: http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/jdc.

Late summer is quickly approaching, can autumn be far behind? Gardeners often find themselves wondering what gardening activities are best done at this time. Here is a list of things to get done now and some things to put off for a couple of months.

The "Do" List

Keep up with watering. Water is always important, but especially so when the heat is on. Fruits and vegetables need water to develop their crops properly. Perennial and annual flowers will perform better with adequate water. Don't forget the trees and shrubs. Even mature trees grow better when given supplemental water. For most plants, a good rule of thumb is one inch of water per week. Remember to water infrequently and deeply; avoid shallow watering.

Deadhead flowers. This is simply removing faded flowers. Deadheading annuals will keep them blooming throughout the whole growing season. Deadheading perennials will channel the energy that would have been spent on seed production, into root growth. When you deadhead, remember to remove

the whole flower, not just the faded petals. The part that forms the seeds is usually at the base of the flower and that's the part you need to remove.

Plant, transplant and divide perennials and plant spring flowering bulbs. As September rolls around, air temperatures will be cooling off, while soil temperatures stay warm. This makes for good planting. There will be less heat stress in newly transplanted plants and the warm soil encourages root development.

The "Don't" List

Don't prune trees and shrubs yet. Woody plants need to slow down and prepare to harden off so they can survive winter. Pruning in late summer can stimulate growth that

may not harden off properly and can be damaged by winter. If you want to do a late season pruning, wait until autumn is really here and the leaves are changing color and falling off the trees (usually around early October). Evergreens should not be pruned at the end of the season, wait until spring.

Don't fertilize trees and shrubs. Just like pruning, fertilizing is a stimulus. It should wait until autumn is truly here. You can fertilize in autumn (very late September or early October), because the soil temperatures are still warm and the roots are actively growing.

Don't mulch yet. Winter mulch can be very beneficial to perennials, trees and shrubs. Winter mulch helps to moderate soil temperatures and prevent freezes and thaws that can lead to soil heaving. Soil heaving can be detrimental to shallow rooted perennials. If you are going to apply mulch, wait until there have been a couple of light freezes, then apply the mulch.

- Sharon A. Yiesla, U of I Unit Educator, Hort, Lake Unit

For those of you who started Amaryllis bulbs last year and want to get them to reflower this year, here are the suggestions Sharon Yiesla makes in her article "Amaryllis for Winter Beauty".

In late summer, gradually reduce watering so that the leaves die down. When the leaves have died completely, cut them off. Store the bulb, in its container, in an area with temperatures around 50°F for 8 – 10 weeks. After the 8 – 10 weeks have elapsed, bring the bulb into a warm room with good light and resume watering. Then follow the same instructions you used last year to get them to bloom.

You can also receive information from that website regarding all aspects of horticulture, including trees and shrubs for Illinois, lawns and much more.

We often hear how old things are new again. Some are resurrected with new names. Pedal pushers are now capris. Some things should stay old things – leisure suits, pet rocks, and streaking to name a few. One old thing is making a well-deserved comeback. The idea of harvesting the rain has been around for centuries, but in our area has been largely ignored. High water bills and drought periods have encouraged more people to use rain barrels as a simple way to capture the rain that flows off the roof and would usually run into the storm sewer.

You may be surprised at how much water is running off your roof. Consider one inch of rain over 1,000 square feet of area yields 623 gallons. Rainfall at the rate of 1 inch per hour will yield about 10 gallons per minute per 1,000 square feet. It doesn't take long to fill a few barrels of free unsoftened water containing none of the chemicals found in city water. In other words, the kind of water plants love.

Also diverting water from storm sewers helps to keep pollutants out of our streams, rivers and lakes. Much of our urban environment is covered in impervious roofs, parking lots, and streets so water rushes into storm sewers, carrying any pollutants such as trash or oil with it.

Rain barrels are generally 25 to 55 gallon plastic barrels to collect water from downspouts. They can be different sizes, shapes, and designs. Rain barrels can be purchased or homemade from recycled good grade plastic barrels. Heavy duty garbage containers could also be used. I spray paint them green so they aren't as noticeable.

Rain barrels require little maintenance. The biggest concern is mosquitoes that can breed in any water standing for more that a couple days. Cover the rain barrel with a very fine screen and use the water on a regular basis. For uncovered rain barrels, mosquito dunks containing the bacterial agent Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis or Bti can be floated in the water to kill the young larvae.

Rain barrels should be covered or have cross braces to prevent children or animals from accidentally falling in. Water from rain barrels should not be used for drinking water.

To create enough water pressure so the water runs out the spigot, be sure to elevate the barrel on bricks or concrete blocks. The higher the barrel – the more water pressure. I have seen pumps for sale that pump the water out of the barrel for long distance watering.

I have a 25 gallon rain barrel that doesn't have a spigot and I just dip my watering can in to fill it.

For the third year now we have had grey tree frogs breeding in our rain barrel. I have to stop using the water once the tadpoles arrive, but it's so much fun watching them grow.

As we wish for rain, be ready to collect it. Here are a few websites you may find helpful. Websites are listed as a service and listing does not imply endorsement.

www.rainbarrelsandmore.com

www.cleanairgardening.com

www.rainbarrelguide.com

Sarasota.extension.ufl.edu/Hort/Pubs/Rainbarrel.htm

(Editor's note: I was able to access all of the websites using Yahoo, not so lucky with another search engine. And remember, for those of us not using city water, we still have well level concerns during periods of drought. AND by saving water, you can still get your plants watered even if the power goes out! )

- Sandra Mason, U of I Unit Educator, Champaign County Unit

Although full details of the 2008 Master Gardener training are not yet finalized, if you've been thinking about becoming a Master Gardener and want to learn more, each of the County offices has basic information on the program. Simply give them a call, in Jo Daviess the number is 815-858-2273 and in Carroll County it's 815-244-9444.