Around the house

In the garden

Things to do in the garden this week:

Begin readying houseplants for winter indoors. Prune back rampant growth and protruding roots. Check for pests and treat if necessary. Houseplants should be brought indoors at least one month before the heat is normally turned on.

Poinsettas can be forced into bloom for Christmas if they are moved indoors to a sunny windowsill now. Each night, they must be kept in a cool, dark place where there is no light for 14 hours. This must continue until proper color is achieved in 6 to 10 weeks.

Cool season lawns are best fertilized in fall. Makeup up to three applications between now and December. Do not exceed rates recommended by fertilizer manufacturer. Newly seeded lawns should not be cut until they are at least 2 or three inches tall. -- Donna Leadbetter, University Outreach and Extension

In the kitchen

The 2003 U.S. apple harvest is under way, and the U.S. Apple Association estimates the total crop will be about 216.2 million bushels. That's about 94 apples for every man, woman and child in the United States, they say.

Apples are grown commercially in 36 states, with the top growing states being Washington, New York and Michigan.

Among apple varieties available are some new ones -- including the Braeburn, the Cameo, the Honeycrisp and the Pink Lady -- as well as the classics. The six traditional favorites, the association says, are the Red and Gold Delicious, Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, McIntosh and Rome apples.

-- AP

Around the house

When paint gets old it cracks. Since many of us like things that look old, paint can an inexpensive ally. One of the easiest-to-achieve antique paint effects is crack-painting. Just spread a coat of wood glue onto any surface, wait about an hour, but not more than four hours, and apply a coat of flat latex paint over the glue. Flat latex paint is the only kind that is guaranteed to give this effect, and will do so within minutes. The fresh paint will begin to crack and appear as if it had been there for a century. If you're uncomfortable using white or yellow wood glue, you can purchase a product made for this purpose. It's used in the same way as glue, but costs about three times as much. For all practical purposes it is glue.

-- AP