I KNOW it’s still a little early to start worrying about the first frosts and what they are likely to do to your lovely garden plants, but what the heck else can J talk about? Besides, it’s better to worry early than to grieve late. This being the case, now is the time to begin salvaging as much of the best this miserable summer had to offer and start planning for better success next year. Get busy readying yourself and your garden for upcoming visits by those not-so-welcome guests, Jack Frost and Chill E. Rains. Case in point, if you leave basil eut in the herb garden for too much longer, Jack and Chill will harvest it for you. Basil dceesn’t need frost ro go terminal on us; a few days of cold, wet rain will do the job nicely. Don’t bother trying to save your basil by bringing it indoors; as an annual, it will die just as .»_ quickly inside as outside. Simply cut the plants back to the ground ’ and hang ihese cuttings in a cool, dry, weil-vented area until they are dry enough te crush and store ia the spice jar. - Unlike the basil, some plants can be lifted out of the ground, transplanted into a clean pot with Ce sterilized potting soil and then lead a perfectly happy, sheltered life indocrs. Generally, — they ~ should be placed in cool, bright ~ focations with good air circulation and a reasonable amount of hv- ' gnidity. Geoff Tobiassen x OVER THE GARDEN GATE Remember, this will be a shock to the plant’s system; you should try to reduce your risks by inaking this transition as srncoth as possi- ble. ring them indcors every night and move them back during the day; repeat this procedure for approximately one week to ac- climatize the plant to its new en- vironment. Try as you might, your plants will still suffer a certain degree of ‘Sign up for gardening ‘THERE IS stili time to sign up for a series of garden seminars and courses this fall offered by North Shore Continuing Educa- ‘tion, | oo A three-hour program on Planter Box Gardvaing for Patios and Balconies will be held on Tuesday, Oct. $ from 7 to 10 p.m. ‘The fee is $17. On Saturday, Nov. 2 there will be a day-long seminar on Greenhouse Gardens running from 9 to 4 p.m. The fez will be $34. The Small Garden program runs fron. 7 to 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5 and is designed for owners of. garden apartments or townhouses. The program will cost $17. All programs wiil be conducted by Roy Jonsson at Carson Graham Secondary School - in North Vancowver, For further information and registration for any of the pro- grams, teleptione 986-8888. custom Built Closet Organisers & Mirror Doors Eliminate waste space and mess Create more useable space in any closet INSTALLED OR DO IT YOURSELF WCGODLINES Built Furniture for the home & office SHOWROOM OPEN MON. - SAT. 9-5 CANADIAN CLOSET ‘A family owned business since 1984” 1385 Crown St.N. Van. 986-4263 shock. Precautions should be taken not to compound this with the additional problems of over- watering, over-feeding, or too much hot, dry air. As a plant goes into siicek, its growth processes will slow and its requirements for water and nutrients will be greatly diminish- ed. Most varieties are better off with barely moist soils until they recover and no fertilizer at all un- til next spring. All of the piants that you bring in from outdoors should be carefully inspected fcr stow- aways. Nasty little creatures such as spider mites, whitefly, scale and aphids view a winter indoors with the same longing that we have for a winter in Palm Springs. If possible, try to set up a quaran- tine area in the house. Leaving the newcomers here for roughly six weeks will allow you to keep your eye out for potential problems and treat them before they spread to the general population. While they are in quarantine, try applying two applications of Safer’s Soap at the rate of 20 ml per litre of water. Spraying all parts of the plant to the point of run off at five-day intervals will reduce your risks even further. Patio plants such as_ the hibiscus, fuchsia, citrus plants, bougainvillaea, and any other plants we normally consider to be tropicals, have potential as winter house guests. Less obvious can- didates would be fibrous begonias, impatiens, colous, geraniums, trailing verbena, marguerites, in fact any of the bedding plants which are grown from cuttings rather than seed. Meanwhile, back in the kerb garden, you may want to ensure that you salvage a good supply of the tender perenniais like rosemary, tarragon, and sweet marjoram. This can be ac- complished by lifting one or two plants or by taking a few cuttings. In the weeks ahead, 1 will repeat some previously-offered advice on some of the methods and timing used in the propaga- tion of these and other plants . through the taking of cuttings and root divisions. Our slow boat from the Ginger Jar 1420 Feil Ave., North Vancouver. y (corner of Fell & Marine) Friday, October 4, 1391 THE RECENT pleasant fall weather has North Shore residents outeide trimming their hedges. Hers, Queensbury resident Gladys Moore gets io work with the clippars. China has arrived] ragon Po . prices from $5.50 and up °7 sizes «most with drainage holes »over 100 to choose from off the 6 _ price to receive tag Present this coupon 90° North Vancouver location only Open 7 days 988-7328