Growing Wise : fall chores

Multi Tasking

Elisabeth — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:58:00 GMT

Every year I order too many bulbs. It's the bulb vendors' fault--they make all the tulips, daffodils and crocuses look so gorgeous that it would take a will of iron not to order a large number of them

Now it is early November. The yard is full of fallen leaves and it's quite likely that the grass underneath them needs mowing. I have one hundred fifty daffodils yet to plant, not to mention odds and ends of tulips and hyacinths. The whole situation is overwhelming.

I solve the problem by multi tasking. Starting with the worst part of the yard, I rake up a bag or two of leaves. Once the garden beds in the raked area are clear, I plant bulbs, forgoing individual planting holes in favor of large holes that can hold five or even seven daffodils apiece. Depending on the amount of time that I have, I repeat this step until a large chunk of the lawn is leaf-free and the surrounding beds are filled with daffodil bulbs. Then I mow the newly-cleared section of lawn. It's amazing what you can do in only an hour (or less) by using this method.

Daffodils look best growing in clumps because Mother Nature rarely makes straight rows.

By the time all the leaves have fallen, I have generally gotten all the bulbs planted. I sweep the last batches of leaves into the beds to protect my slumbering bulbs and perennials.

Winter Containers

Elisabeth — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:46:00 GMT

Now that the houseplants are safely back inside and the bulbs are in the process of being installed, it's time to think about your containers. Like everything else, they need winter care.

I love terra cotta and over the years I have collected some very nice terra cotta pots. Since some of them are expensive, I make sure that all of my terra cotta pieces are emptied of soil and safely stowed upside down in the garage. Leaving a terra cotta pot outside in freezing weather is a recipe for disaster. Water in the soil inside the pot freezes and the soil expands, which can cause cracks in the pots. Even if the pot is empty, there is a reasonable likelihood that it will be damaged by extreme temperature and weather conditions.

Plastic or resin containers are lighter and tougher, but sometimes freezing weather or exposure to the elements can fade colors and make the containers brittle. A plastic pot without a drainage hole can fill with water and crack when the water turns to ice. Unless your plastic pots are very large and heavy, it pays to store them as well. If they must stay outside, turn them over to prevent them from filling with water. Group all your upside down pots in a corner of the deck, porch or patio, and cover with plastic or a tarp that is well weighted down.

If you have old-fashioned metal urns or containers, you can probably leave them outside. Some people like the "shabby chic" look of rusted metal, and exposure to the elements will enhance that at no cost. If you don't like rust, cover your containers. Check in the spring for small rust patches and cover them with a rust retardant paint.

Neat and tidy gardeners take great pride in washing and storing their pots for winter. If the washing part is too onerous, skip it until spring. (Of course it will still be an onerous chore then, but you may feel more optimistic when the light has returned!) Focus on doing what must be done--keeping the containers in one piece.

Leaves--Blessing or Curse?

Elisabeth — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:44:00 GMT

I have a medium size maple tree in front of my house. Intellectually I knew that it has no motivations, but at this time of year I can't help thinking that it has a nasty streak. Every year about now the tree drops a few brightly colored leaves--just enough to make me think it's time to rake. I rake, which makes me feel virtuous. The next morning I invariably awaken to find that the tree has dropped every single remaining leaf overnight. When I go out, I am knee deep in leaves and have to rake all over again, an activity that now takes four times as much time as the day before.

Why don't I just supress the urge to rake on the first day and wait until all the leaves come down? Because if I did, they wouldn't come down all at once. Some things are just laws of nature.

****

I used to think of the fall leaves as a curse, but as I have gotten to be a wiser gardener, I have changed my mind. The following are a few things that fallen leaves can do for you:

Provide exercise: Forget about blowing away your leaves. Rake at least some of them at a brisk pace and you will get part of your daily quota of exercise while beautifying your property.
Fatten up the compost pile: If you have either a compost pile (passive or active) or a compost tumbler, fill it up with leaves, yard clippings and compostable household garbage (no protein material, bones, etc.). Leaves degrade fairly quickly and will help enrich your garden next year.
Blanket your beds: At the end of the season, I cover my flower beds with a blanket of fallen leaves. It helps insulate them for winter, and provides some amount of soil enrichment as the leaves degrade.

Good gardeners never waste resources. As you look out the window at the ocean of fallen leaves on the lawn, think of them as money in the ecological/garden bank. You will feel much better.