Gage County Extension

October 2024

Announcements

Mammos for the Masses

October is breast cancer awareness month! Nebraska Extension has teamed up with the Nebraska Cancer Coalition for the Mammos for the Masses Campaign. In Nebraska, breast cancer is the second most common cancer, but early detection of breast cancer can save lives. Check out the flyer below to learn more about breast cancer risks and what steps you can take today!

Horticulture- Nicole Stoner

Plant a Tree for Fall Color

Evenings are finally starting to be more enjoyable, maybe even a little chilly, which means fall is coming! Fall is one of my favorite seasons for so many reasons, including fall color that can be so amazing in our landscapes. It is sometimes hard to get good fall color in Nebraska, but when we do get good fall color, it is worth the wait. Continue Reading...

Minute Pirate Bugs

Minute Pirate Bugs are a real nuisance this time of the year. Minute pirate bugs are the tiny, black insects that seem to fall out of the trees and bite us during the fall months. The bug, which is a true bug, is 1/8 inch in length black insect with white and black wings. Minute pirate bugs are present throughout the summer, but they are out in fields, woodlands, and gardens. During the summer they feed on other insects, making them a beneficial insect. But, in the fall, these insects move into the areas where people are outside more often and they bite us, which can be painful. Minute Pirate bugs do NOT feed on blood, inject a venom, or transmit diseases. Control is not practical for them, but they will die with our first frost. Insect repellents do not deter them, so it is best just to wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt to reduce areas for them to bite us.

Tree Planting

Fall is a great time to plant a tree, make sure you do it correctly. Start by removing any burlap and wire that may be around the soil ball or take it out of the pot it was bought in. Make the hole no deeper than the root ball and about twice the width of the root ball. Staking may be used if necessary, but only leave the stakes on the tree for one growing season and leave the staking material loose to allow the tree to move in wind. Be sure to make a mulch ring at least 2-3 feet out around the trunk of the tree to avoid competition with the grass. The mulch should only be 2-3 inches deep and level across the ring.

Plant Spring Blooming Bulbs

October is a great time to plant spring blooming bulbs. Plants such as tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, crocus, squill, snowdrops, and ornamental onion will add a great deal of color to your gardens early in the spring. You should purchase these bulbs when you are ready to plant them to ensure best survival. When purchasing, inspect the bulbs for signs of mold or decay to purchase good bulbs. Plant the bulbs 2-3 times as deep as the height of the bulb and plant them with the eye or the pointy end of the bulb upward in the soil.

Garden Cleanup

Garden sanitation is an important step to take to reduce disease and insect problems in your garden for next year. These can live dormant in the garden space over the winter to come back to the garden next year. When you finish harvesting your vegetables for the year, clean up all your vegetable plants and dispose of them. Do not compost any plant material that was infected by a disease or had insect damage because it is difficult to get the pile hot enough to kill the pathogens and insect eggs. In the fall, you can till the garden and add compost or manure to help add nutrients back into the soil for the next growing season. Tilling in the fall makes it easier to prepare the garden next spring and exposes insect eggs to winter conditions thereby reducing the population for next year. After tilling the garden, add a layer of mulch to prevent erosion.

4-H & Youth Development- Jacie Milius

4-H Awards Judging - October 15-25 (Virtual)

This is an exciting time as we recognize the excellence of Gage County 4-H members through the annual awards program. Award applications are due October 1. Now we need a group of adult volunteers to read through the applications and select the winners of scholarships, project medals, etc. This year, we are going virtual. Judge award award categories from the comfort of your home between October 15th -25th. Send an email to Jacie if you can help; great way to learn about the awards application! Thank you in advance!