Your chance to win 2 free tickets to the Fairfield County Fair
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Your chance to win 2 free tickets to the Fairfield County Fair

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Connie Smith
| Special to Eagle-Gazette

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Did you know that September is Hunger Action Month? Hunger truly touches every corner of our county. In an effort to raise awareness of the need at our local food pantries, the Fairfield County Fairboard is donating two tickets to each of the 10 food pantries across the county participating in the Neighbors Helping Neighbors Food Drive scheduled for September 8-14. Once you make your donation, you will be entered into a drawing to receive two free tickets to the Fairfield County Fair at your local food pantry.

The most needed items are canned meats, canned fruit, can openers, soup, canned pasta and hygiene products. Local food pantries include Lutheran Social Services Food Pantry, Salvation Army Food Pantry, St. Mary’s Food Pantry, Vineyard Food Pantry, Maywood Mission Food Pantry, Canal Winchester Human Services, Pickerington Food Pantry, Baltimore Food Pantry, Victory Center Food Pantry and Connexion West and Community Action.

Please take the time to donate what you can so we can help our community fight hunger because hunger is happening right here in Fairfield County. According to Feeding America, over 19,000 Fairfield County residents are food insecure. Of those 19,000 residents, 63% are above the income threshold to qualify for SNAP benefits. Our family, friends, and neighbors may be struggling.

Let’s help strengthen Fairfield County by addressing hunger. Don’t forget, if you donate to a local food pantry during the week of September 8-14, 2024, you’ll be entered into a drawing to win free tickets to the fair! For details, contact Fairfield 2-1-1.

Creatures in your containers

Soon our thoughts will turn to fall decorations, pumpkins, gourds, chrysanthemums and pansies in pots, and piles of squash and more. But sometimes the frustration comes after planting a container full of beautiful new plants, only to have burrowing animals make a mess of your beautiful garden arrangements! Squirrels and chipmunks, in particular, seem fascinated by foraging and burying nuts and treasures in planted containers.

Squirrels dig burrows to bury nuts and food in their territories. While they may not be as big of a problem in lawns or among plants in larger gardens, their digging and wrestling can quickly destroy carefully arranged potted plants. Squirrels do the same, and they also often dig up and eat flowering bulbs and burrow to create tunnels in which they can hide and rest.

Both mammals often dig for insects and other treasures, destroying or damaging plants.

While it is almost impossible to completely eliminate them from pots, a few tricks can discourage them from causing so much damage. Here are a few tricks that, individually and collectively, can make a big difference in keeping your potted arrangements healthy and beautiful:

Lava rocks and other rough surfaces will put off most viewers.

Lava rocks with a rough surface placed around potted plants can help discourage digging. This is most effective when placed in open areas of soil after planting is complete. As plants grow through the season, the lava rocks are barely visible, but are attractive even when they appear.

Wire edging around the pots can help discourage climbing. If the wire is the same color as the pots or foliage, that’s even better, but it’s not necessary, as plants tend to hang over the edges as they grow over time.

Wire or plastic netting buried under the topsoil above the bulbs and tubers will discourage rodents from digging and eating the bulbs and tubers. The gaps between the netting must be large enough to allow the plants to germinate and grow, but small enough to prevent rodents from digging.

To increase the effectiveness of repellent, you can also remove faded flowers from these plants and scatter fresh seeds on the soil surface.

Aluminum foil or other bright metal “decoys” can help deter squirrels, chipmunks, and other rodents. While they may be unsightly, these decoys can be tucked under the edges of containers or between plants, then removed as the plants fill up over time.

While most of these techniques are helpful, combining them as a strategy can make a big difference in preventing rodents from entering your pots and minimizing damage.

Applied critter ridders, animal repellents, and hot peppers can also help, but they need to be reapplied frequently and after heavy rains. However, when combined with the other methods listed here—especially at the beginning and end of the growing season, when digging seems to be most intense—they can help keep foraging rodents away from pots. There are many other methods that work in different conditions.

Upcoming Events

Designing a Landscape for Birds – with Carrie Brown of OSU Extension Wednesday, September 11 – 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Location: Pickerington Public Library – Sycamore Branch, 7861 Refugee Rd, Pickerington, OH 43147 Contact email: [email protected]

Fairfield County Local Foods Tour – Don’s Prawns & MoreSeptember 12, noon – 2:00 p.m.Join OSU Extension Fairfield County to learn more about shrimp harvesting at Don’s Prawns & More. Participants will be able to watch the harvesting process. Please dress appropriately. This program is free, but please let us know if you are participating so we can plan.Register at https://go.osu.edu/fclocal.

Farm Science Review – September 17–19Farm Science Review is fast approaching, one of the largest outdoor agricultural shows in the country, taking place September 17–19, 2024 at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center.

Advance tickets are $10 ($15 at the door). Purchase your advance tickets today at the Fairfield County Extension office, 831 College Ave, Lancaster, OH 43130. Advance tickets are available through September 16.

Children under 5 get in for free. Visitors can still buy paper tickets with cash or credit card at the gate.

Website https://www.scubar.es/

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