Fall Gardening Tips...

Fall is here and it’s time to think about pumpkins and spice along with fall cleanup of your annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees.  We are asked nearly every day if fall is a good time to plant. Actually, fall is the best time to plant.  Planting now gives plants the opportunity to establish a good root system for the upcoming year.  And your plants will benefit from our cool fall days with warm soil conditions.  Of course you still need to follow our 2 pages of planting instructions along with a good fertilizer in mid to late November.  Not only will the plants do well next spring, but you will enjoy the benefits of having them in the garden this fall.

 And with that being said, lets turn are attention to next spring.  Good preparation this fall will reap you benefits next spring. Like we just mentioned, fertilization is very important.  And in our high alkaline Idaho soil, plants benefit greatly when you lower our soil alkalinity.  A great way to accomplish this is by applying “Iron” to the soil.  With trees such as Oak trees, we recommend an iron supplement that contains “DDHA”, however it’s great on most all plants here in the Boise area.

Fall is also a great time to clean up the garden.  Think about removing annuals and vegetables from the garden around the first to middle of October.  Most of them can be placed in a compost pile and used as planting mulch next spring. Fall is the time of year to put away the garden hoses, clean and oil shovels, rakes, and other gardening equipment.  And while you’re putting away your gardening tools, consider having the lawn mower tuned up and the blade sharpened along with getting the snow blower in good condition before the snow flies. 

As the season cools down, we recommend planting your spring bulbs, but don’t plant them too early.  Mid to late October is recommended for our area of the country.  It’s highly recommended to use “Hi-Yield Bulb Food” during the planting.  This can help in producing larger and more productive bulbs next spring.

If you have questions about fall gardening, please stop by our garden center. We would be happy to help you.

The staff of The Home & Garden Store