Fall Chores for a Better Spring
Fall gardening is an important time of the year. It's a time to look at the successes and trials of gardening that you've faced thus far. So, as you're reflecting on your last year of efforts, remember that "fall cleaning" is a very important part of your spring garden.
I know what you're thinking. FALL cleaning?! Don't you mean SPRING cleaning? The time of year that we should all be frantically cleaning the baseboards and pressure washing the house? Well, don't burn me at the stake here, but what if we did some of our garden chores in the fall so that once spring rolls around, we can plant a gorgeous garden? One that will surely distract from the house we haven't pressure washed or the baseboards we haven't cleaned yet! Plus, it'll make for less cleaning on your part when spring finally arrives. Now that sounds like a good idea, right?
Since we're all on board to tackle some gardening chores this fall, here are 6 (that's right, just 6) things you can do in your garden that will help you have a better spring:
1. Add some compost/manure to your flower beds. It doesn't have to be a hard job, just cover your beds in a layer of compost, and during winter, the worms will help you spread it out.
2. Collect the seeds from open flowers and vegetables. This one is for the folks who want to sow seeds next spring using last year's crop. If you're more into buying your seeds (or seedlings) each year, then you can skip this one. (or, better yet, collect your seeds and give them to a friend or neighbor who is into that sort of thing)
3. Clean your bird feeders to get them ready for spring. The birds work so hard all year long taking care of the bugs for you, so the least you can do is fix them up a clean bath to use again in Spring.
4. Prepare your water garden for winter. If you have a water garden, you'll have to turn off the pump for winter, and make sure the ice breaker is ready to go. It's also a good idea to cover the garden with something (netting) to keep it safe & clean until things warm back up. If you don't have a water garden, good news! You can mark this one off your list.
5. Clean your tools. Your gardening tools are like an extension of your arms during the rest of the year, so when it's time to put them away for winter, they ought to be due for a good cleaning. If you need some guidance, take a look at this article on how to clean your hand pruners from our friends at gardening.about.com.
6. Keep watering your shrubs and trees. Your shrubs and trees still need water all the way until the ground freezes for winter. So, don't think you're all done with the watering just because your perennials died back. (P.S. If you have a mild winter, you'll have to keep watering those guys all season long)
That's it! Once you take care of those minor chores, your garden will be ready for you when things start to warm up again, making Spring planting an easy project. That's great, right? It'll leave so much time for all of the other spring cleaning tasks, you'll be done before you know it!
If you have any questions regarding "Fall" cleaning, or planting in general, please contact us at info@plantmegreen.com or toll free at (855) 817-5268 and, of course, don't forget to check us out at www.plantmegreen.com for some great deals on plants. Happy planting!
Info Courtesy of http://gardening.about.com
