Put the Chili on Simmer. There’s Work to be Done!

One of my least favorite character traits rears it's head in the Fall. I'm a Waffler. As the cooler temperatures set in I vacillate from getting out there and raking the leaves to reading one more chapter with another bowl of chili.

For someone who doesn't garden, it may look as if the seasons over, but there's still plenty to do in the garden and yard.

Good sanitation helps to promote a healthy garden. Cleaning up debris, dead and diseased foliage, and then topping the beds with compost, will go a long way toward having a great garden next Spring.

As you're cleaning up your perennial beds, you may want to consider dividing and transplanting bulbs and rhizomes. Lillies, hostas, and irises are all easily divided. Keep in mind that Fall is the time to add Spring flowering bulbs to your gardens. Tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths  can be planted now for that first color of the season.

Mowing your lawn until it stops growing and keeping fallen leaves cleared off will help prevent lawn mold from developing. Mowed or mulched leaves can be used in garden beds for compost or Winter protection.

Winter fertilization can be done on lawns now. Broadcasting compost on your lawn is an organic way to improve the health of the soil and turf roots.

Pruning trees and shrubs is easier when the leaves have fallen. Even then, it can be a challenge to know which branch or branches need to be removed. Here is a helpful website form the USDA that explains exactly what to to and the tools that you'll need.

Speaking of tools, Fall is the time to make sure that your tools are in good condition for next year. Handles can be rubbed with linseed oil, blades can be sharpened, and mowers can be drained of gasoline.

Although temperatures may be falling, keep watering your trees and shrubs. They will need all the moisture that they can get before the ground freezes.

With all that said, I'll put the pot of chili on the back burner and get going!