Fall is a time of harvest as well as a time of planning for next year. In the whirlwind of fall gardening one is optimally buying tools, bulbs, supplies, gardening material for the winter and following year.
Tools
If you don’t have the appropriate tools, leaf cleanup can be a hassle. Leaf blowers make the job an easy task. If the noise bothers you, you can always go back to engaging the kids in a raking party out back. The leaves themselves make wonderful compost and can be added to the compost pile to rot throughout the winter. If you don’t have a compost bin, fall is a good time to buy one. There are a variety of bins from wood boxes to round barrels that are easily rotated.
Bulbs
Some tender bulbs will need to be lifted from the garden and stored away from a hard frost. Other bulbs should optimally be planted in the fall to give them a winter season to help them go dormant. So, whether you’re digging up bulbs or planting them, odds are you are doing that during the fall season. Tools, bulbs, supplies, gardening shopping for fall can be overwhelming if not properly planned out. If you have bulbs that need to be lifted, do that first. If you need bulbs planted there are special tools that can make the job go quicker.
General Supplies
Now may also be time to prepare the lawn for the following season. Fertilizers with weed killers may be broadcast on the lawn to help it endure the cold and inhibit sprint weed growth the following year. Some people even like to seed the next year’s lawn in the fall. Along with tools, bulbs, supplies, gardening plants, include some lawn care products.
Garden Maintenance
After the appropriate tools, bulbs, supplies, gardening materials have been bought, the gardener will need to go around and trim all the dead plant material. If left on the plant, it can promote plant diseases. Mulches will need to be bought for fall gardening materials to prepare the beds for the following spring and to retain moisture in a dry winter. Once everything is done, one has to maintain the tools by cleaning, sanding or oiling them before putting them away in a shed for safekeeping.
Buying tools, bulbs, supplies, gardening materials is a frantic race with time and Mother Nature during the fall season. But, with a little bit of planning and knowing what the general needs of the garden are, one can go about it in an orderly and calm fashion.
