Fall To Do List

Fall is a wonderful time to work in your garden. The weather is cooler and there is almost always more rain than in summer. more rain means less time watering and more time to work in the garden. There are many garden tasks best accomplished in autumn.
Your lawn may have some bare patches – did you know that fall is the best time to plant grass seed? Grass sown in autumn has two growing seasons to get strong and established - fall and spring. Sown in fall, it has the added benefit of cooler fall temps and less weeds germinating, The six weeks from Sept. 15 to Oct. 31 is the time to do this.
Another thing to do to help your lawn is to put down some pre-emergent weed killer. In this category, since I am a devotee of only organic methods – I recommend using something like WOW Plus, sold by www.gardensalive.com. What is this? It is a natural byproduct of corn syrup production to spread on your lawn that will both prevent weeds from germinating now and in the spring and will also feed your lawn. After applying it, kids and pets can immediately play on the lawn with no ill effects whatsoever – it is totally harmless.
This product will suppress seed germination of grass as well, so should be applied only after any newly sown grass has had a little growth.
Fall is also an excellent time to plant perennials, shrubs and trees. Since most people don’t think about this fact, plant nurseries mark down their remaining stock in the fall. Take advantage of this and scope out what your local garden center has to offer. I have gotten some excellent bargains by scouting out reduced nursery stock in fall. Perennials, shrubs and trees planted now will develop a good strong root system and will be raring to go in the spring. They will far surpass things planted in spring with the benefit of the fall season and the dormant period of the winter season. For perennials, try to plant by mid October at the latest.
For early, mid and late spring blooms now is the time to plant bulbs. Have you admired daffodils, tulips, and other bright blooms in spring when your own garden was just bare – waiting for the last frost date to get started in your yard? If you plant a selection of bulbs in the fall, you too can have color and beauty starting in March. Bulbs can be planted from e