FALL HOME IMPROVEMENT - COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL - SEPTEMBER 28, 2016 - 13
FALL HOME & GARDEN | OUTDOOR PROJECTS
Fall Makeover: The Garden
T
he start of cool weather is a good time
to start planning next year’s garden
layout while making needed repairs.
Depending on your ideas for either growing
or scaling back your garden next spring, there
are some simple steps to make sure your
harvest is as bountiful as ever.
Before you get busy fixing
fencing and laying down
ground cover, it’s best to take
a minute to make an overall
assessment of your garden’s
performance this fall. Did it
produce all the fruits, vegeta-
bles and flowers you expect-
ed?
Were there plants that didn’t
come up or that weren’t as
vibrant as years past? Are there
signs of damage caused by
insects or rabbits? The
answers to these type of ques-
tions can help you know
where to start in preparing
your garden for next year.
reduce your workload in the
winter or spring, which is
when you’d like to be focused
on growing your next round of
produce.
ADD SOME SPRING
FLOWERS
Your garden doesn’t have to
be solely dedicated to fresh
vegetables and fruits. Many
traditional gardeners also like
to fill their space with flowers
for children to pick and enjoy.
According to Consumer
Reports, fall is the time to
plant those spring-flower
bulbs, such as crocus, daffo-
dils, hyacinths and tulips.
REPAIRS & MAINTENANCE Always remember to follow
The first thing to do when
the planting instructions and
readying your garden area is to your climate zone recommen-
make general repairs. Fencing, dations to make sure your
flowers come up strong.
landscape timbers and other
In regions with milder win-
areas may need to be replaced
ters, cool-season annuals such
or maintained. Especially if
you live in an area with a tem- as forget-me-nots and sweet
alyssum make for great
peramental wintertime cli-
mate, it’s best to take care of
options. Northern gardeners
these issues now ahead of the should dig and store tender
biting, snowy cold season.
bulbs such as tuberous bego-
nia and gladiolus. Again, your
Part of the plan for your
preparation may be expanding climate has a big impact on
your garden with new raised
what grows and what doesn’t,
beds or a larger overall area.
so check with your nursery
Again, it’s best to make these
specialists for expert, localized
adjustments in the fall to
advice.
© FOTOLIA