Fire Pit Safety

Fire Pit Safety

Though a defining characteristic of fire pits is that they are designed to contain the components of the fire at all times, it is always most prudent to take safety measures in the event that very hot materials do manage to escape from its confines. Also, whenever using a fire pit, one should make sure to rake the surrounding area to remove dead leaves or other debris that could potentially catch on fire from stray sparks. A safety measure that one can employ is placing a screen over the fire pit which not only contains sparks underneath it, but also reduces the wind's impact and potentially enlarging the fire. Also, good yard keeping, monitoring the area surrounding the fire pit, and removing any low lying branches from above, or debris around it, is prudent. Fire pits have the potential to be dangerous; however the steps needed to be taken to ensure their safety are minimal, though important.

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Gardening Jobs for August from Old Farmers Almanac

Compost should be watered during dry periods so that it remains active.

Prune only to retain the shape. Do not prune spring-flowering shrubs such as azaleas and rhododendrons.

Mid-August through September is a good time to transplant any shrubs that you've purchased with root balls wrapped in burlap. Make sure you get them in the ground two to three days after purchase. Do not fertilize until the second year, when the feeding roots have become established.

Lawns or bare spots reseeded with grass now will have a chance to get established before winter sets in. Water often and mulch with hay.

In colder regions, houseplants that have been outside for the summer should be brought in at the end of this month. A sudden cold spell will be too much of a shock for them to survive. This is also a good time to take cuttings.

You can still enjoy garden flowers indoors. Sow these annuals inside: sweet alyssum, dwarf marigold, browallia, ageratum, and nasturtium. Grow them in a moderately cool (60 degrees F), sunny window.

Plant fall-flowering bulbs now.

Two or three leaves should be left when cutting gladiolus, so that the bulbs can ripen.

This is the month for transplanting Oriental poppies.

Rock-garden pants should be checked to see if they need thinning. Overcrowded plants will not stay healthy or attractive.

Sow these perennials outdoors for next spring: aquilegia, Phlox paniculata, digitalis, centaurea, and primrose.

Hardy lily bulbs may be planted in the ground and left to overwinter outdoors.

Cut back the flower stalks of perennials that have finished blooming. Cut delphinium flower stalks to the ground, and a new, though smaller, flower stalk will develop. The flower will survive the coming cold days and even light frosts.

Lift, divide, and replant Japanese and Siberian irises soon after bloom. Transplant them to places where they will have "wet feet but dry knees."

If you notice a gap in your perennial bed between spring and fall blooms, visit a local nursery to see what's in bloom there and ask the experts for advice on what to plant.

The vegetable garden is likely to require daily harvesting now. Cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers should be picked as soon as the fruits are ready. This not only captures the best flavor, but it also makes way for new fruits.

Maximum flavor of herbs for drying is achieved by cutting them just before their flowers open.

Make sure that potatoes are not escaping into the sunlight. Hill or mulch them if they are.

Trenches of new asparagus beds should receive their final filling in this month.

Remove dead pea vines, bolted lettuce, and other plants that have gone by and add them to the compost pile. If they show signs of disease, however, burn them.

Separate melons from the ground with a thin board to prevent decay or damage from wireworms.

Cut out raspberry and blackberry canes that have just finished fruiting.

Most perennials outgrow their containers and require repotting every two or three years