By Hank Smith | March 2005
Fall
Garden Vegetables and Fruits
Sprinkle bonemeal and rock phosphate around the winter garden of cabbage, broccoli and lettuce. Top plants with a layer of compost. This combination will insulate plants from the cold.
Now is a good time to plant a strawberry patch. These ornamental plants with white blossoms and red fruit make attractive, low-edging plants for flowerbeds.
Time to plant fruit trees, blueberries, blackberries and bunch grapes.
Winter squash and pumpkins store better if you leave a few inches of stem attached when you harvest them.
Trees and Shrubs
Crape myrtles are best grown as small deciduous trees.
Remove blooms from shrubs.
Dogwoods contribute a beautiful accent to yard landscapes. When mowing the lawn or using a grass edger, take care not to cut the bark of trees. Otherwise you may attract borers that can damage the tree.
Flowers
Cut faded blooms from roses to prevent plants from producing hips, the fruit that contains the seed. This diverts plant energy to producing flower buds instead of seeds.
Now’s the time to harvest dried hydrangea blooms for decorations.
Order tulip bulbs for planting later in the year. Store bulbs under refrigeration at 35 to 40 degrees for 60 days immediately before planting.
Several types of annuals can be taken up in the fall and brought indoors to bloom for several months. Ageratum, browallia, nicotiana, phlox drummondi, petunia, and torenias are among the best.
If October and November are dry, give perennials a deep final soaking so they will go dormant in good condition. They’ll be less subject to winterkill.
Lawn
Lawns need about an inch of water a week. When rainfall is scant, measure the amount applied by using coffee cans at equal distance within the sprinkler coverage area. When cans have about an inch of water in them, the lawn will have enough water.
Overseed warm-season grasses such as zoysia, centipede or Bermuda with annual rye grass for winter color. Seed early before tree leaves begin to fall.
Treatments
Three elements cultivated soil often lacks include nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. All three are available in commercial fertilizers.
Hand pick slugs or set out pans of beer to trap these nighttime nibblers. If you spread poison bait, be careful to keep it away from children and pets.
When you collect leaves for mulch, select those that curl as they fall such as maple, oak and birch. Flat leaves can create soggy soil. Mix pine straw with broad leaves to help prevent packing.
A good way to eliminate many insects in the soil is to plow in the fall. Let soil lie fallow over winter. Don’t smooth soil surface down into an even layer.
Indoors
Geraniums make good house plants year-round if given proper care.
Plants that bring good luck—like lucky bamboo and money tree—continue to gain popularity along with elegant orchids and other tropical plants. Ferns, once popular in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s, are also making a comeback.
Plant carrot seeds in small pots and place in the sunshine. Before frost, bring them indoors. Place pots among house plants where they give a fern-like accent. Plants do best in bright light.
Indoor potted plants that have spent the summer outdoors need to slowly adjust to their return inside. Move these potted plants to filtered light for a few days.
Many herbs are perennials, easy to grow, disease resistant, hardy, useful and inexpensive. Basil, one of the most common herbs that can be found in garden centers, is excellent for growing in pots and indoors.
Miscellaneous Tips
Study garden catalogs and place orders for plants you’d like to get. Sometimes supply houses sell out early, so it’s wise to get orders in the mail. Many local nurseries and garden centers reduce prices in autumn, clearing shelves for winter supplies.
Landscape planning involves more than beauty. Consider these major factors: Is the plan functional and suitable? Is it economical? Does it require too much maintenance? Sometimes it pays to consult a landscape architect, landscape gardener, or a master gardener from your local Cooperative Extension service.
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