Fall Glory by Nachiket Kapre’s
With the school zone signs now flashing on a street near you, that can
mean only one thing, Fall is quickly approaching and with the season
of changing leaves comes some quick tips for getting your garden and
patio ready for the colder months to come…
Clean Garden Pots: Wash grime & rings away with a 50/50 water and
vinegar solution. This works well on both plastic and clay containers.
Clean out the gutters, but wait until all the leaves have dropped. The
last thing you want is to have to repeat this job every few days for
the next two months… Check for leaks and any wear and tear and fix
now before it snows or freezes over. This will help ensure your
gutters are up to the task when Spring rains hit.
Check tree branches and lightly trim any that are close to the house.
Too much trimming at this time of year can damage a tree, so just do
enough to keep the branches out of reach over winter (keeping in mind
heavy winds and snow).
Before storing the patio umbrella away for the winter, take a pair of
pantyhose and use one leg to cover the closed umbrella and the other
leg to wrap around the bottom (to keep it closed). This will help
protect the umbrella yet still give it air to breathe.
Spray down all patio furniture and if not brought inside (garage) to
winter, tarp them. This will help the furniture last a lot longer,
especially wood furniture.
Remove or cover all open containers and pots. Helps protect them when
it freezes plus you don’t want to provide pools of water for a
mosquito breeding ground in the spring.
If you have bags of birdseed to feed the birds in the fall and over
winter, make sure the bags are in covered containers. The mice would
love to have you leave them in the open for their holiday feasts.
Fill a pail with sand and used motor oil. Dig your garden tools in the
mixture to sharpen them up and clean them.
Just a few quick tricks now will save you time and money when spring arrives.
