Garden Column for the Salisbury Post October 13, 2005 Darrell Blackwelder      Rain has finally arrived and with fall leaf color rapidly approaching outdoor chores are increasing. As the temperature falls and leaf color changes, many will have outdoor maintenance chores. Many have called with various questions about lawns and gardens of which you may have an interest. Here are a few: Question: Can I still core aerate my lawn and plant seed now?  Answer: Yes, the rain was late, but there is still time to seed or over-seed fescue lawns. Question: I just planted my lawn in September. When do I cut a new lawn? Answer: Make sure your blade is very sharp and cut the new lawn when the grass has reached a height of 4 inches. Mow it as high as possible. Question: I have just planted my lawn and the grass is just beginning to show, but I have leaves falling. What shall I do? Answer: Fescue will never become established without sunlight. You need to remove those leaves as carefully as you can without disturbing emerging grass seedlings. Keep emerging grass properly irrigated to maintain growth. Question: Can I prune shrubs now? Answer: Light pruning is not a problem now. Wait until spring at mid-March to do heavy-duty pruning on shrubs. Wait until azaleas bloom before pruning them back. Question: How long will the Salisbury-Rowan Farmers Market on Main Street in Salisbury be open this fall? Answer: the market will run until the week before Thanksgiving. Question: I have gourds in the garden. When is the best time to harvest? Answer: Gourds can take a light frost, but not a hard freeze. When the rind is very hard and the stem is brown is the best to pluck them out of the garden. Use pruners to cut the stem, leaving an inch or more of stem and then move them to a cool, dark location to cure. Check often for those that are immature as they will have soft skin and will decay quickly. Question: When can I get pine seedlings? Answer: Pine seedlings are available from the North Carolina Forest Service. Contact the county forester, Rodney Kriser or our office for an application or more information about planning trees. Seedlings are usually harvested in December through March while supplies last Darrell Blackwelder is an agricultural agent in charge of horticulture with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service in Rowan County. For archived garden columns or other information, visit the Rowan County Master Gardener web site at www.rowanmastergardener.com , e-mail Darrell_Blackwelder@ncsu.edu