FALL GARDEN CHECKLIST For Your Flower Garden: Replace tender annuals with frost-tolerant varieties such as pansies and mums. Plant bulbs such as tulips and daffodils for a brilliant spring display. Dig out and store tender bulbs (such as gladioli and tuberous begonias), so you can replant them next spring. Divide spring-flowering perennials or plant new ones. Take advantage of fall discounts to stock up on perennials and garden supplies. Plant new trees and shrubs up until a few weeks before hard frost. Winterize your roses by protecting the crowns and roots. Prune deciduous trees (except maple and birch) to control their size and shape. Consider adding plants with all-season interest. Bring tender plants indoors for the winter. Prepare your garden for winter: stop fertilizing, cut back spent perennials, and protect vulnerable plants for heavy snow, winter burn, and hungry wildlife. Turn off and drain outdoor taps and sprinkler systems and cover any garden structures that may otherwise by damaged by ice. Store fertilizers, chemicals, and garden tools. For Your Vegetable Garden: Learn to recognize when your vegetables are ready to harvest. Pick tomatoes if there’s a threat of frost and let them ripen off the vine. Remove and compost vegetable plants after they’ve finished producing. Plant a crop of green manure to enrich the soil for spring. Protect perennial crops such as strawberries, asparagus, and rhubarb to ensure healthy production next year. Plant garlic to harvest next fall. Store your fall harvest of root vegetables in a cool, dry place so you can enjoy them for weeks. Take note of what worked and what didn’t in your vegetable garden tis year and make plans to improve next season. For Your Lawn: Seed or lay sod for a new lawn if necessary. Dethatch, aerate, top-dress, and overseed your lawn to promote vibrant growth. Give the lawn one last mowing before the snow arrives. Apply a lawn fertilizer formulate for fall which will help the grass develop strong roots. If you have a heavy load of fallen leaves, rake as many as you can. Have your lawn mower serviced. If a lot of snow arrives before the fall is over, remove compacted mounds of the white stuff in order to prevent the snow mould.

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