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People often compliment me on my green thumb. But I can tell you that it is only through many mistakes (most of them costly) and learning from them that I have become a good gardener. This has never been more true than during fall clean-up time. When I cut corners and got lazy, I was very sorry come spring. Below is a check list that I use to help make sure I am a happy gardener when things warm up.
1: Empty all your pots and containers and store them with some protection.
- Whether you have terra cotta pots or plastic pots, if you wish to keep them a while, empty them out. When I have not done this, my terra cotta pots crack from the freezing and thawing of the water in the dirt left in them. The plastic ones may survive a…
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%20and%20learning%20from%20them%20that%20I%20have%20become%20a%20good%20gardener.%20This%20has%20never%20been%20more%20true%20than%20during%20fall%20clean-up%20time.%20When%20I%20cut%20corners%20and%20got%20lazy,%20I%20was%20very%20sorry%20come%20spring.%20Below%20is%20a%20check%20list%20that%20I%20use%20to%20help%20make%20sure%20I%20am%20a%20happy%20gardener%20when%20things%20warm%20up.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E1:%20Empty%20all%20your%20pots%20and%20containers%20and%20store%20them%20with%20some%20protection.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E-%20Whether%20you%20have%20terra%20cotta%20pots%20or%20plastic%20pots,%20if%20you%20wish%20to%20keep%20them%20a%20while,%20empty%20them%20out.%20When%20I%20have%20not%20done%20this,%20my%20terra%20cotta%20pots%20crack%20from%20the%20freezing%20and%20thawing%20of%20the%20water%20in%20the%20dirt%20left%20in%20them.%20The%20plastic%20ones%20may%20survive%20a%20winter%20or%20two,%20but%20inevitably%20they%20just%20crack%20and%20break%20from%20the%20weather%20as%20well.%20What%20I%20do%20is%20create%20a%20make%20shift%20compost%20pile%20in%20an%20area%20of%20the%20yard%20that%20is%20not%20used.%20You%20can%20put%20tarp%20down%20if%20you%20wish.%20I%20just%20start%20dumping%20the%20dirt%20in%20one%20big%20pile%20then%20store%20my%20containers%20under%20the%20deck.%20I%20add%20mulched%20leaves%20on%20top%20of%20the%20dirt%20pile%20and%20let%20mother%20nature%20do%20the%20rest.%20All%20the%20moisture%20from%20the%20snow%20will%20help%20decompose%20the%20debris%20in%20the%20pile,%20and%20come%20spring,%20I%20have%20dirt%20to%20put%20back%20in%20all%20my%20pots.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E2:%20Cut%20back%20hibernating%20perennials,%20and%20move/plant%20anything%20you%20ran%20out%20of%20time%20for%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E-This%20neatens%20things%20come%20spring%20for%20new%20growth,%20but%20know%20what%20is%20good%20to%20cut%20and%20what%20needs%20to%20wait%20until%20spring.%20Definitely%20do%20not%20touch%20your%20roses%20or%20anything%20that%20may%20get%20stimulated%20from%20the%20cutting.%20Just%20cut%20back%20a%20lot%20of%20your%20dying%20plant%20material.%20As%20far%20as%20moving%20and%20planting,%20as%20long%20as%20it%20is%20early%20fall,%20this%20is%20a%20good%20time%20to%20do%20things%20like%20that.%20The%20plants%20are%20ending%20their%20life%20cycle,%20so%20they%20are%20going%20to%20look%20bad%20anyway.Transplanting%20them%20won't%20make%20them%20worse.%20This%20way,%20you%20won't%20have%20to%20disrupt%20them%20in%20the%20spring%20as%20they%20are%20flowering%20and%20growing.This%20is%20also%20a%20great%20time%20to%20get%20deals%20at%20the%20garden%20center%20and%20pop%20them%20in%20the%20ground.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E3:%20Layer%20dead%20leaves%20from%20raking%20onto%20the%20beds%20for%20warmth%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E-%20Some%20gardeners%20do%20not%20like%20doing%20this.%20They%20claim%20you%20might%20be%20transmitting%20mold%20or%20diseases%20to%20your%20beds%20that%20might%20be%20on%20the%20leaves.%20I%20do%20this%20every%20year%20and%20it%20not%20only%20mends%20the%20soil%20as%20the%20leaves%20decompose,%20but%20acts%20as%20a%20blanket.%20But%20do%20be%20careful%20of%20wet%20areas,%20if%20you%20mound%20too%20much,%20you%20might%20create%20a%20drainage%20problem%20for%20your%20plants.%20If%20your%20mower%20does%20a%20rough%20mulch%20to%20the%20leaves,%20even%20better.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E4:%20Winterize%20the%20lawn%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E-%20Just%20use%20a%20store%20bought,%20granulated%20winterizer%20and%20sprinkle%20away.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E5:%20Prune%20Japanese%20Maples%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E-%20There%20is%20much%20debate%20about%20pruning%20Japanese%20Maples,%20but%20we%20are%20trusting%20our%20close%20family%20friend,%20who%20is%20half%20Japanese,%20who%20tells%20us%20to%20prune%20in%20the%20Fall%20or%20early%20Winter.%20Also,%20as%20in%20all%20pruning,%20use%20wood%20glue%20to%20seal%20your%20cuts.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E6:%20Empty%20any%20water%20gardens,%20dry%20pot%20and%20store%20with%20protection%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E-%20This%20is%20still%20a%20costly%20learning%20experience.%20Last%20year%20we%20emptied%20the%20water%20garden%20and%20stored%20it%20on%20the%20deck%20upside%20down,%20thinking%20that%20would%20be%20enough.%20Well,%20no.%20We%20should%20have%20stored%20it%20under%20the%20deck%20with%20the%20rest%20of%20our%20containers-or%20even%20the%20garage.%20We%20found%20a%20deep%20crack%20which%20took%20us%20a%20week%20to%20seal%20this%20summer.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E7:%20Cover%20and%20put%20away%20lawn%20furniture%20&%20grill-%20We%20are%20fortunate%20that%20our%20deck%20has%20a%20lot%20of%20storage%20underneath,%20so%20we%20put%20a%20lot%20of%20our%20chairs,%20tables,%20pots%20and%20plant%20stands%20under%20there.%20We%20cover%20the%20chairs%20to%20keep%20them%20clean%20and%20nice%20with%20tarp.%20The%20table%20we%20move%20to%20the%20side%20on%20our%20deck,%20and%20wrap%20with%20tarp%20and%20hold%20with%20bungee%20cords.%20This%20seems%20to%20have%20worked.%20If%20I%20did%20not%20have%20storage,%20I%20would%20at%20least%20invest%20in%20come%20tarps%20or%20covers%20to%20protect%20them%20from%20the%20elements.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E8:%20Mend%20any%20bad%20soil%20areas%20so%20they%20are%20ready%20for%20spring%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E-%20Now%20I%20have%20a%20separate%20post%20dedicated%20to%20this,%20so%20you%20can%20refer%20to%20that%20(http://www.urbandomesticdiva.com/2008/06/gardening-landscape-liner-is-devil.html).%20But%20if%20you%20have%20a%20patch%20of%20soil%20that%20is%20very%20hard%20or%20full%20of%20clay,%20now%20is%20the%20time%20to%20get%20it%20ready%20for%20spring.%20Turn%20over%20your%20patch%20of%20soil%20with%20a%20hand%20pick%20or%20shovel.%20Then%20dump%20compost,%20grass%20clippings%20and%20mulched%20leaves%20in%20the%20dirt,%20and%20mix%20it%20again.%20Then%20you%20are%20done.%20Mother%20nature%20does%20the%20rest.%3C/p%3E){kind=link}