Latest posts
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November Garden Checklist: 9 Jobs To Finish Before The First Hard Freeze
The first real freeze usually shows up on a clear, still night. In the morning the lawn crunches underfoot, the birdbath has a lid of ice, and every leaf on the shrubs by the house is outlined in white. Light frosts come and go all fall, but a hard freeze, when the temperature drops to…
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Winter Vegetable Garden Ideas For Harvesting Kale, Carrots And Greens In The Cold
Most people picture a winter vegetable garden as something you plant in winter. That’s the part that trips them up. Almost nothing grows in December; the days are too short and too cold. A winter garden is planted in late summer and fall, grows to nearly full size before the cold sets in, and then…
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How To Prep Garden Beds For Winter So Spring Planting Is Easier
Spread your compost in fall, not spring. A layer laid on the beds in October or November spends the winter being pulled down into the soil by earthworms and broken apart by freezing and thawing, so by planting time it’s already part of the bed rather than a pile sitting on top. That one switch…
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Stop Bagging Your Fall Leaves: Better Ways To Use Them In The Garden
Every November, the curbs fill up with brown paper bags stuffed with leaves, lined up neatly for pickup. Then, a few months later, the same yards buy bags of mulch and compost at the garden center. Those leaves were the mulch and compost, just a season early. So what to do with fall leaves? Keep…
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Don’t Let Frost Win: How To Overwinter Dahlias, Geraniums And Potted Plants
The first frosty morning usually announces itself on the dahlias. Leaves that were green at sunset hang black and limp by breakfast, the geraniums on the steps look boiled, and the lemon tree in its pot has a few curled, brown edges. A single clear, still night does all of that. Knowing how to overwinter…
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When To Plant Garlic In Fall For Fat Bulbs Next Summer
Plant garlic in fall, a few weeks after the first frost and roughly four to six weeks before the ground freezes. That’s the answer to when to plant garlic almost everywhere it grows. The timing gives each clove enough weeks to grow roots before winter, but not enough warmth to push up a lot of…
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Should You Fertilize Your Lawn In Fall? What Grass Needs Before Winter
Late September, and the lawn looks like it had a rough summer: thin patches by the path, a brown spot where the kiddie pool sat, and a spongy feel underfoot in the shady corner. Yes, a lawn in fall should be fed. For cool-season grass, the type most northern and middle-zone lawns are made of,…
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Plant These Fall Bulbs Now For A Yard Full Of Color In Spring
Tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocus and alliums go in the ground once the soil cools below about 60 °F, which in most gardens lands four to six weeks before the ground freezes. That’s how fall bulbs for spring blooms work: they need a long, cold winter underground before they’ll flower, so the planting happens months before…
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What To Plant In October Before The Ground Gets Cold
Push a spade into the bed. If it still slides in without hitting frozen crust, and the first hard freeze in your area is at least four weeks away, you can still plant in October. That’s the whole test for what to plant in October: workable soil, and enough weeks for roots to settle before…
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Halloween Garden Decor That Still Looks Good In Daylight
Saturday, around noon, from the sidewalk: the foam tombstones lean at three different angles, an inflatable ghost lies face down on the lawn, and a tangle of extension cords runs across the grass. At night the same yard looked spooky. In daylight it looks like the clearance aisle of a party store. Halloween garden decor…