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| Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/smilla4/ |
- Harvest tender
vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers) when frost threatens, and
protect cold-tolerant crops with row covers on cold nights.
- Harvest winter
squash and store in a cool place.
- Dig and store
tender bulbs such as dahlias, gladiolas and calla lilies.
- Continue to
water newly planted trees, shrubs and perennials with a thorough soaking
once a week if rainfall isn’t one inch/week.
- Take cuttings of
some favorite annuals such as impatiens, coleus and geraniums for growing
indoors.
- Get houseplants
ready to bring indoors by “cleaning them up” and checking for insects.
- Remove and
compost spent plants from annual and vegetable gardens.
- Rake fallen
leaves and bag some for use in the compost pile during the winter and
spring.
- Plant garlic now
for harvest in the summer.
- Prune dead,
dying, damaged or diseased branches from trees and shrubs anytime.
- Clean garden
tools, winterize the lawn mower, empty the hoses.
- Be prepared to
feed the birds as the weather gets colder.
- Save seeds of
species (not hybrid) varieties of flowers and vegetables which were your
favorites.
- Prune roses “lightly” to prevent the canes from being whipped around by winter winds. Save major pruning until spring.
