Garden Clean-up Time!

November - After these first few nights of frost, most of us are thinking about nights by the fire.  However, it is still warm enough to finish those garden clean up chores.  Clean-up now is every bit as important as planting or weeding.  By spending time the next few weekends on clean up, big dividends will be paid next spring. 

Organic matter is key to healthy soil, so to increase your soils content you can turn most of your plants right into the bed they were growing in.  Thin leaf plants can be used as is and tougher plants need to be cut up before use. 

Two kinds of plant matter that you shouldn't turn in are (1) those that won't decompose completely by spring (mostly large plants) and (2) those that are diseased or insect infected. 

Use all of those leaves in the yard to your advantage.  Whole leaves can be used in compost piles but if you want to use leaves in a bed or as lawn fertilizer, they must be chopped into very small pieces. 

Mulch - be sure to remove old mulch from around fruit trees, grapes and berries and replace with a fresh supply of weed-free straw, leaves or pine needles.  This will remove any spores of fungal diseases and black rot that may develop in the spring.  

Protect your perennials.  Perennials need a little end of season care.  Give them a trim to eliminate a home for pests that overwinter in dead stems.  Follow up with a top-dressing of compost to get them started next year.  Here's a tip to use your live Christmas tree once the holidays are over.  Trim branches and place over perennial beds to prevent snow, ice or drying wind damage.  Remove in the spring. 

Other Garden Tips:

Visit our new “Nights by the Fire” section @ Best Feeds to purchase seasoned firewood and accessories to warm your home on those first frosty evenings.  

If you're planning on buying a live Christmas tree with the intention of planting it this winter, dig the hole now, before the ground freezes. Remember to keep the soil covered, so that it does not freeze and can go back into the hole. 

Continue to supply birds and other backyard visitors with fresh food and water.

Protect your roses by mounding soil around the crown and covering the bud union. Tie down climbing rose canes to protect them from cold winds. 

Clean up garden debris and cut back and remove any diseased or infested foliage. Do not put contaminated plant material in compost.  Build up soil with collected organic matter.  If you are using mulched leaves – make sure they are in small pieces.  NEVER add whole leaves to beds. 

Clean and store tools.   

Purchase tree wraps and guards to protect evergreens and young trees from deer and mice damage.

Don’t cut back ornamental grasses, they add beauty to the winter landscape and provide shelter for wildlife. 

Other activities for November: pot and force tulip bulbs for winter bloom; prune raspberry bushes; start paper whites in late November for Christmas flowering.

Remember to stop by your local Best Feeds Garden Center for the areas best selection of Bird Seed, Feeders and Deer Repellent.