It is a bit late to be pruning much. That is because there are proteins in flowing sap in the phloem tubes that block off damage (pruning damages the plumbing system of plants). They are not as present in the late fall as in late winter and early spring.
Still, you might consider pruning back gooseberries and currents now. Personally, I let the moose take care of the job, which they always do. One other plant that doesn't seem to mind fall pruning is the rose. If you have hardy ones, now is a great time to prune them.
Next, a couple of seed questions: How should seeds that are left over be stored, and can seeds be collected and stored from plants now?
To store seeds, give them a dark, dry and cool environment. It is best to keep them in an airtight jar in a dark, 40 degree spot. Of course, if you left yours in the paper packet, there is no assurance that they are viable now -- and less assurance that they'll be viable next spring. You will have to test by germinating a few next spring to see.
Outdoor seeds vary in their timing when it comes to being viable, but by now almost anything you want can be harvested. Again, these need to be stored some place cool, dark and dry. If you intend to start them in the spring, they must be exposed to several months of freezing temperatures.
A better way to start perennials from your garden is to do it outdoors. Plant seed shallow, in some good compost or potting soil and place the container in a protected spot in the garden or set up a small area to serve as your "nursery." Put some of the containers in plastic bags. Let the soil and the seed freeze and retrieve the containers in early spring. This is the treatment seeds from your perennials would receive if left in nature's hands.
OK. To resolve a domestic battle on Campbell Lake, can worms be kept over?
By all means, worms can operate in the winter but not frozen. Bins should not be allowed to spend very much time in freezing weather. The worms will continue to do their thing to your scraps and wastes all winter long in the laundry room or basement.
The big complaints about keeping a worm bin inside are the tiny flies that can breed in vermicompost. To prevent them, avoid citrus peels as a worm food (or microwave them first). Also, keeping a couple of sheets of newspaper over the material in your bin will prevent any flies from, well, flying. One pound of worms will go through one pound of your kitchen wastes every day.
Here is one I get every year: Is it too late to plant spring flowering bulbs?
It isn't too late provided you can work the ground a few inches to plant them. If you can't, your only choice is to pot them up and force them indoors. This means you will need to store the planted pots where it is at or near freezing for about nine weeks, after which, expose them to light and room temperatures and they should bloom indoors.
I know winter is coming when folks want to join a horticultural group. Can I provide a list of hort clubs in the area?
I can't find the list the Cooperative Extension keeps, but there are a few other places on the Web to start. There is a good list at Gardensnapsmap.com, for example. These are the folks who provide us with the handy nursery maps in the spring. Another great list that will at least get you started, despite the date of publication, was compiled by Fran Durner in an old Talk Dirt column. Check it out community.adn.com/adn/node/136036
Finally: Is it time to force last year's poinsettias into flower? This was the very first question answered in this column.
Yes, you can try to force a poinsettia to set red bracts, but it is not always successful. Still, how will you know if you don't try and what have you to lose? Starting this week, carefully control the amount of light your poinsettia gets. Ensure 13 or 14 hours of total, uninterrupted darkness every day until around after Thanksgiving. Cover with a box if you have to. No light. If the bracts have started to turn, you will still have time to buy some locally.
Jeff Lowenfels is a member of the Garden Writers Hall of Fame. You can reach him at teamingwithmicrobes.com or by calling 274-5297 during "The Garden Party" radio show from 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays on KBYR AM-700.
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