Plant AheadGetting Your Garden Ready for Winter

Fall is the best time to plant everything from perennials, winter annuals and bulbs to cool-season vegetables, trees and shrubs. Because the soil is warm and the air is cool, plants need less energy to flourish. The warmer soil allows roots to become well-es-tablished, giving your plants a good chance at bursting forth, next spring, looking their very best.

Now, before the first frost, is the time to visit your local garden center and buy pe-rennials at clearance-sale prices. They may look a bit reedy, but there’s nothing wrong with them, and perennials planted in the fall have all fall and winter to acclimate and root. Most perennials, from herbs to flowers to grass, go on sale at the end of the summer.

Plant Spring-blooming Bulbs – Fall is the right time to plant hardy, spring-bloom-ing bulbs. Do it sooner rather than later, because if the soil is drenched with rains or freezes, your rehabilitation project will be difficult. Buy large, firm bulbs and plant them at the depth recommended by your gar-den store –general advice is to sink them to a depth of two or three times their diameter. If you have a problem with rodents, put gravel in the planting hole or wrap the bulbs before planting. Straw is an attractive nesting mate-rial for rodents, so do not use it as a mulch around bulbs.

Dig and Store Bulbs and Corms – In cold-climate areas, fall is when gardeners rescue the bulbs and corms of the tender summer plants – caladiums, cannas, dahl-ias – which will freeze and die if left in the ground over the winter. Dig them up when their foliage turns brown; trim off the re-maining foliage or flower stalks, let them air-dry for a week and then layer them in pa-per bags filled with peat moss or vermiculite.

YARD SALE – Grasses and other pe-

rennials Go on sale this time of year,

and fall is a Great time for plantinG.

(photo by Gus Jarvis)

published by the wAtch

see wintERizE on page 3

HARVEST2012

ExtEnding Your growing SEaSon 2

Fall iS thE SEaSon For Planting nExt YEar’S BulBS and PErEnnialS 6

EaSY-to-grow hErBS Can MovE indoorS 5

2 lawn&garden lawn&garden 3 the watch • thursday, sEPtEMBEr 13, 2012 thursday, sEPtEMBEr 13, 2012 • the watch

Store the bags in a cool, dark place, such as a basement or cool closet. If the storage area is humid, dust the bulbs with the organic fungicide sulfur before bagging them and slit the bags for better ventilation. Check the bulbs monthly; discard any that look soft and sprinkle water on those that look shriveled.

Protect Plants from Win-ter Stress – Winter dormancy is not always a blessing for gar-deners, starting with the fact

that frozen ground locks up water, injuring and even kill-ing dormant plants. Give your plants, from perennials to trees, a good, long soaking before the soil freezes in late fall. Protect shrubs and roses by wrapping them loosely in burlap, cover-ing them with a fence-wire cage that is stuffed with dried leaves or straw.

PLAn MASSivE cutbAckS

Because pests and diseases thrive in soil and dead plant ma-terial, it’s important to remove

what’s left of your garden’s annuals and vegetable plants now, as the daylight shortens and temperatures drop. Here’s a punch list of cutbacks; let the cleanup begin.

Perennials – Cut back the dead and dying foliage to just a few inches above the ground; this will not harm the plants, whose roots will survive for next year’s comeback, even as aboveground growth dies.

Annuals – Annuals do not come back, and there is no rea-

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Growing Edibles Late In the Season

bY MELinDA MYERS

Don’t let fall or potentially frosty temperatures stop you from enjoying garden-fresh produce. Extend the nutritional value and homegrown flavor into your fall and early winter meals with the help of short-season crops and season-ex-tending strategies.

Lettuce, spinach, radishes, turnips, and beets are quick to mature from seed to harvest; plus, the cooler temperatures enhance their flavor. Simply count the number of frost-free days left in your growing sea-son and compare it with the number of days from planting to harvest listed on the seed packet.

Consider protecting these late plantings and other vege-tables from chilly fall tempera-tures with cloches, coldframes and floating row covers. Many of these devices, long used by gardeners to jump start the season in spring and extend it much later into fall, trap heat

around the plants, protecting them from frosty temperatures.

You can also convert gallon milk jugs into garden cloches for individual plants. Remove the bottom of the jug and slide it over the plant. Use the cap to capture heat or remove to ven-tilate your homemade cloche on sunny days. Or purchase reus-able cloches with built in ven-tilation. Originally made of glass, many of the newer cloch-es are plastic, making them more affordable, easy to stack and portable.

You can make your own coldframes. Many gardeners convert discarded windows, a bit of lumber and nails into a homemade shelter for their plants. The window size usu-ally determines the size of your coldframe. Just make sure you can reach all the plants inside. For best results, your frame should be higher in the back then the front so water and melting snow can drain off – if possible, facing south for better warming. The internet and gar-den books are filled with plans.

I prefer the construction-free, all-purpose garden fabrics. Simply drape these floating row

covers (season-extending fab-rics) over your crops. Anchor the edges with rocks, boards, or wire wickets. The fabric traps heat around your plants, but allows air, light and water through so there is no need to uncover the plants during the day or for watering.

Increase the ease of season-extending fabrics with low and tall frost pop-up covers and plant protection frost covers. The frames are fitted with all-purpose garden fabric to cre-ate protective tents. You can protect new plantings and ex-tend your harvest by protect-ing plants down to 24 degrees Fahrenheit.

So with a little preparation you can keep enjoying fresh-from-the-garden flavor past the traditional end to your harvest season.

wintERizE from page 1

PEREnniALS of every size and color will benefit from any extra attention gardeners can give them right now, as summer gives way to autumn in the coming days. (Photo by Gus Jarvis)

see wintERizE on page 5

Winterize Your GardenWith Mulch, or

With a Cover CropOne of the best things you

can do for your garden is top it off with mulch or plant it with a cover crop. It’s not so much the cold or the snow that hurts win-tering plants – it’s the freeze-melt-thaw cycle. Mulch helps with that, decomposing over the winter and adding nutrients to the soil, and keeping peren-nials protected from the ele-ments. Consider mulching with straw on your vegetable garden and wood chips on perennials. Cover crops like winter rye, red clover and mustards protect a annuals and vegetables pruned down for the winter.

For container garden-ers, know your containers can freeze and crack, and that plants can die when their roots are not protected underground.

Protect your plants in contain-ers, by either bringing them indoors – into the garage or the basement or some sheltered place. If the storage area is cold, consider wrapping plant containers in blankets or sev-eral layers of plastic wrap. Do not fertilize.

vARiEtiES of MuLching

For DIY mulching, collect and save the leaves that sur-round us, this time of the year, and in a year, they’ll be the perfect mulch. Store them in tightly closed plastic bags and by this time next year, you’ll have the perfect light mulch for your garden.

Fall is a good time for ana-lyzing garden soil for informa-

tion about everything from pH levels to nutrient analysis, and remedying any deficiencies. Fertilize and amend garden soil with natural organic materials like manure, compost, blood meal, bone meal, cottonseed meal and greensand.

Organic soil amendments go a long ways toward improv-ing long-term health, as well. With a fall application, they have time to break down into a useable form by spring. A fall layer of mulch offers protec-tion to plant roots, and protects evergreen foliage from soil-borne diseases. In colder cli-mates, adding mulch after the ground freezes helps to prevent frost heave, keeping soil tem-peratures more even and pro-tecting roots, at the same time.

EXtEnDing thE SEASon – sea-son extenders range from manu-factured coldframes to DYI cold-rames utilizing windows and scraps of lumber to cloches made from gallon milk jugs. (Courtesy photo)

see LAtE SEASon on page 7

4 lawn&garden lawn&garden 5 the watch • thursday, sEPtEMBEr 13, 2012 thursday, sEPtEMBEr 13, 2012 • the watch

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Drain water from hoses, sprinklers and wa-tering cans and store them to prevent cracking. Terra-cotta pots must be protected and kept warm. Clean your tools, using soapy water. To remove stubborn mulch, soak and scrub tool with a stiff brush. Rub off rust with very fine sandpaper or with fine steel wool dipped into kerosene. Dry tools with an absorbent rag or paper towels, as dampness can lead to rust. Sharpen cutting edges with a file or a whet-stone, filing from the outer edge to the center. Wipe metal surfaces with an oiled cloth or store metal tool ends in a bucket filled with coarse sand soaked in motor oil. Keep wooden han-dles from drying out by applying a light coat of boiled linseed oil and buff. Tighten screws and dab a drop or two of light machine oil on mov-ing parts. Store tools out of reach of children in a cool, dry spot. Winter is an excellent time to make an organized pegboard or other storage system for your tools.

• Consider planting herbs in a foot-high (or larger) straw-berry pot planter. These plant-ers, with an open top and sev-eral openings along the sides, are ideal for planting separate seedlings.

• Bring herbs indoors, late fall–early spring.

• Consider growing herbs from seedling plants. Although seeds cost less, some herbs take months to grow big enough for harvesting.

• Most herbs require soil that drains well; dense or heavy clay soils will rot them. A good potting mix will contain wood chips or compost, to provide nutrients, perlite or sand that increases drainage, and coir, a peat substitute, that absorbs water.

• Don’t over-fertilize. Herbs aren’t heavy feeders, and typi-cally need just good soil, sun-light and water.

EASY-to-gRow hERbS

Thyme – This easy-to-grow herb can be grown in tiny spac-es, and subjected to all man-ner of neglect, but it just keeps coming back, and is available in many varieties. Lemon thyme pairs well with fish.

Marjoram – Sweeter and more aromatic than its cousin, oregano, as well as drought-tol-erant, marjoram is easily grown in containers of all sizes. Prune when it starts to look weedy, to encourage bushy growth. Great in stocks, soups, and sauces.

Rosemary – Slow-growing but hardy, rosemary loves the sun and can be grown in pots of all sizes, up to the size of a large shrub. Great with lamb and roasted potatoes, the versa-tile rosemary is said to relieve a headache, when steeped in hot water for an herbal tea.

Sage – Sage wants a sunny

spot with lots of good drainage and airflow – if kept too damp, it will mildew. Its strong taste is goes well with poultry.

hARvESting YouR hERbS

Refrigerate – Place the stems of harvested herbs in a cup of cold water in the refriger-ator, trimming the leaves as you need them. Many herbs will last for several weeks, if you change the water twice a week.

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of herbs in a dark, dry place with good air circulation. To protect against dust, poke holes in a paper bag and place it over the bundle. Once dried, store herbs in glass jars in a dark cupboard. Crumble herbs slightly before storage, but wait until needed to fully crush.

Freezing – Chop fresh herbs, place them in ice cube trays, cover with water and freeze. Once they’re complete-ly frozen, remove and store in freezer bags, for dropping di-rectly into sauces or stews.

Maintaining a Year-roundHerb Garden, Indoors

RoSEMARY – Slow-growing and hardy, rosemary can happily relocate from your garden to indoors, during the fall and winter months. (Photo by Brett Schreckengost)

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son to leave any part of these plants in the ground.

Vegetables – Many garden-ers pull their annual vegetable plants out of the ground every fall, but here’s another idea: Chop the main stem a few inch-es aboveground, and put what-ever foliage that remains into the compost bin. Leaving roots in the ground helps to prevent erosion; as the roots decom-pose, they add nutrients to the soil.

Compost – Compost only pest-free and non-diseased

plants; make sure to destroy any plant material and pathogens, to prevent the return of insect pests next year. The less hospitable your garden is to winter pests, the fewer problems you’ll have next spring. Be ruthless.

Keep a Record – Now is the time to document what was growing in your garden this year, with photographs and careful notes. Careful record-keeping helps gardeners avoid injuring dormant perennials and remember what worked, and what didn’t, this year.

Spray Now for Pests – Many damaging insects become active in early spring, before

gardeners have time to take ac-tion against them. Drenching the soil now with systemic in-secticides leaves active ingredi-ents for next spring, when pests begin to feed again.

Bring Delicate Plants In-doors – Bring in herbs (thyme, rosemary, basil) and hot pepper plants for the winter; they’ll do best in a south-facing window.

Evaluate – It’s never too soon to start planning next year’s garden. Evaluate what worked and what didn’t in this year’s garden; consider sketching a plan for your garden next year. As winter lingers, buy seeds and start growing them indoors.

wintERizE from page 1

6 lawn&garden lawn&garden 7 the watch • thursday, sEPtEMBEr 13, 2012 thursday, sEPtEMBEr 13, 2012 • the watch

right now is theright time for Planting Bulbs and Corms

bY S.E. nEwMAn

There is a direct correla-tion between the size of a bulb and the size of the flower grown from that bulb.

September and October are the best months for planting bulbs. This will allow ample time for the bulbs to become well rooted before the ground freezes. Bulbs planted after October may not have time to root adequately and therefore may not flower uniformly in the spring. Freezing and thaw-ing during the winter may also push an un-rooted bulb out of the ground. Consider mulching the bed to maintain a more con-sistent soil temperature.

Late September is the pre-ferred time to plant bulbs, so they root well before the ground freezes.

The selected site should have adequate sunlight, be well drained and show the flowers off to their best advantage.

Bulbs are planted much deeper than seed; therefore, soil preparation methods differ. Plant bulbs with the growing tip up.

Fertilizer must be present in the root zone to be effective.

SELEction

The earlier bulbs and corms are purchased in the fall, the better the selection. Select the largest bulbs of a variety, be-cause there is a direct correlation between bulb and flower size. Avoid those that show evidence of mold or mechanical damage.

While it is preferable to se-lect bulbs and corms individu-ally from open bins rather than prepackaged, there is a chance that a prior customer may not

have put bulbs back in the prop-er bins. If the adjacent bins have similar bulbs, this mix-up will go undetected.

Generally, a gardener se-lects the site before purchasing bulbs. This site usually is con-spicuously located to show the flowers off to their best advan-tage. If the bulbs will remain in this location for more than one year, they need adequate sun-light to regenerate strong bulbs. A southern exposure, especially when close to the foundation, induces early emergence that may result in freezing injury. Assure drainage so that the bulbs will not become water-logged. Finally, a solid block of one color is more impressive from a distance than a mixture of colors and varieties.

Plant the bulbs at a depth consistent with the level indi-cated on the planting chart. As a general rule, this depth is four times the height of the bulb be-tween the soil surface and the tip of the bulb. Make sure to plant the bulbs with the grow-ing tip up.

After the ground freezes, cover the bed with a 3-inch mulch to prevent alternate freezing and thawing that breaks roots and damages bulbs. This mulch may be removed in April before the shoots emerge, or left in place if the shoots can penetrate it easily. Remove flowers as soon as they wither. The developing seed will divert food produced by the foliage that otherwise would be used to produce more vigorous bulbs. Apply nitrogen at the rate of 1/4 pound per 100 square feet before the foliage withers. After the fo-liage has withered completely, the bulb is dormant. Any addi-

tional fertilizer applied after the bulb has become dormant will not be used and wasted.

Bulb beds are usually not dug up after the first year. How-ever, after the second year, the developing bulbs may begin to crowd and lose much of their original vigor, which will result in smaller blooms. When this occurs, dig the bulbs in late Au-gust and allow them to dry for a few days in a shady, cool spot. Divide and replant only the best ones, preferably in a new loca-tion. If none of the bulbs are as large as the original ones, purchase new bulbs for better results. This is especially true of hyacinths, which are seldom worth transplanting.

When the bulb bed occupies a prominent place in the yard, many growers remove the bulbs after flowering, replacing them with annuals for the summer. It also is possible to interplant an-nuals among the withering bulb tops. However, do not remove the bulb tops until they are dead. The annuals grow faster and fill in the bed sooner if 5 pounds of 5-10-5 fertilizer per 100 square feet are worked into the soil.

SoiL PREPARAtion

Bulbs are planted deeper than seed; therefore, soil prepa-ration methods differ from those used elsewhere in the garden.

Excavate the bed to the bulbs’ planting depth. Apply the fertilizer and soil amend-ments at this level, and spade or rototill the soil to a depth of 3 or 4 inches. Take care to not com-pact the soil beneath the bulbs, which will result in a hard pan

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LAtE SEASonfrom page 2

with poor drainage. This will promote water logging.

Aeration is the most impor-tant aspect of soil preparation. Before the soil is shoveled back into the bed, mix it with some type of organic matter. Space the bulbs appropriately, refill the bed and water to settle the soil around the bulbs.

The flower bud and the food necessary to produce the flower are present inside a bulb when it is planted. Fertilizer is applied to make larger bulbs the follow-ing year.

Apply phosphorus fertilizer at planting time so it is available to the roots, because it does not trans-locate in the soil. Adequate phos-phorus may be supplied with 1/2

pound of 0-46-0 fertilizer (treble super phosphate) per 100 square feet. To improve the texture of the soil, add spahgnum peat moss or well-decomposed compost using up to one-third of the volume of soil removed from the bed as de-scribed. Soil amended in this way offers less resistance to the shoot as it emerges and provides bet-ter aeration and drainage for root growth. Soils that are high in clay should be heavily amended.

S.E. Newman is a Colora-do State University Extension greenhouse crops specialist and professor of floriculture, horti-culture and landscape architec-ture. Reprinted with permission. For more information, visit http://www.ext.colostate.edu/menu_garden.html.

see buLbS on next page

buLbS from page 6

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