A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall Gardener's Chat Fall Chores

So what's on your "To Do List" this fall?

For me it's transplanting blackberry lilies and peacock orchids. Dividing mums and waiting for the plants I ordered from brecks and springhill to get here so I can plant them. Then it's getting the fall acid fertilizer down around the azalea and blueberries. That sounds like a lot doesn't it? Wish me luck.

I am going to have to clean up my wildflower garden. For some reasons wild grass stuff has taken over and I haven't felt like cleaning it up. I may redo the whole thing and put vegetables in this spot next spring.

Clean up the vegetable garden. Not sure if I'll use this area next year or just give it a rest.

Need to do some pruning. The dry weather has caused many dead areas on plants and trees.

What did you order from brecks and springhill, Tammy?
I have an ongoing clean up project going. And getting a little wind-resistance around my more tender plants. I also have hundreds of plants and bulbs coming in to prepare for.
And the leaves have begun falling too. I can keep on feeding much all winter here and I will. I have pounds of seeds to scatter when the timing is right and then continued weed abatement.

my clean up goal for fall is to move my bulb beds. i want to move them and use that space for motorcycle parking.

not sure where i'll put them. have to contemplate that a bit.

I know what you mean about wild grasses taking over. I have burmuda grass in my yard and it took over the sidewalk bed while I was fighting with my depression. I'm not even tempted to work on that yet.

I know I need to work on my fruit trees to get them going the direction I want them to go. But, i'm going to wait until I get some of that pruning stuff so the bugs can't hurt the trees after I prune.

I ordered variegated weigela, hardy primrose mix, early stardrift and alpine rosy bells. I'll probably lose the last two because they are bulbs and the rabbits love the bulbs. But I can be slow to learn not to buy them when they seem like such a good deal.

My leaves haven't even turned colors yet so I have a while before they begin dropping which is a good thing because I need to cut the grass at least one more time or more. Good luck with your bulbs.

I'll look forward to seeing the new bulb bed Jiffy. I'm sure it will look great.

our leaves are falling because of drought. My yard is already covered.

Are they orange?
Ours were blowing off today, but they are starting to orange.

I dont like them to leave us bare..

b

no. they're brown and dried up.

Do you make mulch ?
I am on a hill, when they fall, the wind blows them away..No raking here.

b

I do use the leaves for mulch usually. These leaves are dead as a door nail. They crunch and break under our feet.

oK

I meant compose....
Leaves blow into my beds and I let them on till spring.. Dont make me mad.

b

I put my leaves in the compost pile for the most part. We have so many trees I don't put them all in there. I have piles and piles of leaves.

I do put all of the leaves, twigs and things into the green waste dump, so it is composted.

I definitely compost. I love my compost pile. It's going to make my garden great one of these years. Right now it is all brown though. I don't have the strength to rake up after I cut the lawn so the green stays on the lawn. Which is of course feeding the weeds that are already there. Not exactly a part of the plan but I do what I can with what I have.

Today is spider killing day since it won't rain today. At least that's what the weather channel says. We'll see. But I'm not going out until it hits at least 65 degrees lol.

I'm thinking of buying a load of compost and see what happens.

You will be so amazed. But watchout what you buy. I got something called amended soil from my local place and it isn't work a plug nickel. No nutrients worth mentioning.

Anyway I prefer to make my own. It really give me a sense of satisfaction. I know weird right? lol.

All I've gotten accomplished so far today is to take the trash to the dump.

Well I'm excited. I actually got some stuff done today.

Today half of the peacock orchids got moved to the other side of the garden bench. That's going to look so go next year. At least I think it will.

Then I weeded the blueberrybed, added hollytone, compost and covered with mulch. So that one should be good for the winter.

Then I cut the lawn along side the shed to the tree line.

And that scattered a bunch of brown-eyed-susans so I should have a bunch more of those next year. I hope so anyway. They are very charming flowers.

Then I scraped off the top layer of the compost pile so that I can add some green material and then mix it up good.

Must of been a great day.

I went to the store today.Bought a goodsized plant walmart.$1.87

There was huge mums for $4.00 not bad at all..

b

I have a compost pile but I think I need a big truck load. I actually might start doing a few things Saturday. I'll have to wait and see how I feel. I can't make up my mind about moving my vegetable garden spot. The only other place I can put it is where my wildflower garden is and that means a lot less flowers. I guess I just need to go with pad and pen and see how I can work it out without damaging the flowers that come up every year. I love the batchelor buttons and will be sad if I loose them.

What do you guys think?

Can you build a new bed somewhere maybe?

the plants from Springhill arrrived and I went right out and planted them. I'm so excited to have them. I hope they do well in the home I chose for them.

Sounds like everyone is mostly in the planning mode...I bought some bulbs, but now I am afraid to plant them yet..it has been raining everyday and every night. I don't want the bulbs to rot from the wet conditions!

Tammy I put soap shavings in the beds where I have bulbs to keep the deer from eating them..so that may work also for rabbits. I buy cheap horrible smelling soap to use.

I mowed and picked up rocks and sticks today.

I definitely understand about it being too wet to plant the bulbs. But there is still plenty of time to get them out there.

Soap shavings huh? I'm definitely interested in trying that. The rodent away is skunk urine and it really smells bad. how many shavings per square foot would you say is enough?

Fall brings winds here. Ant that brings down piles of pine needle. I have to get to raking in the cooler hours. Still to top 100$ today. But it looks like our temperatures are going to get better over the next week so I have high hopes.

I'm going to help my niece plant her front planters - the house that I posted pictures of. Maybe I'll go this weekend and look for plants but I still think it's too early to plant. What is your opinion on that?

I have been planting right along, Sheri. But selective stuff. But I will be full out planting in the next week or two.

UI am so glad to hear about the "there is plenty of time yet" thing, when it comes ot planting.

I bought several bags of crocus to plant. Then, where I am going to plant it, Rod saw what was either a small tree or poison ivy--well I did not want to pull it in the off chance that is was ivy--SO Rod sprayed it with roundup (carefully I hope, as this bed is full of my wild violets from the "farm") But anyway I am waiting for him to get rid of said plant or for it to die completely.
---The bag said to plant in early spring--but yea it is kinda wet here now---so I guess I will wait a few weeks then.

I am not doing a lot of changing this year, and it is too early to clean off the asperagus so I am just doing some weeding & watering when it is needed now.

It doesn't take many of the soap shavings, but of course they have to be replaced if it rains alot or from time to time, I had a 6'x 2' bed that I scattered about 2 handfuls of shavings in and it worked.

I'm definitely going to shave some soap come payday. I'm looking forward to having some beds where the rabbits and deer, voles and moles stay away from it.

Not altogether sure how that will work on moles and voles underground. But I wish you luck with it.

All I can do is try. Maybe as the cat gets larger he can get rid of the voles and moles. I'll try anything. lol

I have moles.......Also frogs.....
I watched them go into big holes in my flower beds.
A whole family of them went into the rocks and scampered away. Between spaces.

Come catch them froggie girl..LOL

Our Border Collie (she is gone now) used to catch a lot of our moles. I do not know which was worse, the moles or the holes---
However, as far a frogs go, Barb--I would help if I could, but I can't so I won't.---

Gee it has been a long time since I have gotten to say that!!!

And so you did.........

You had my favorite doggie.Bordercollie.
We went to a Border collie round up with the Bagpipers bands .
Loved it ....

Pricey to get in tho.
My heinz dog has some border in it ..

Rain to day.....what is out there/

b

Today I have been doing some fall clean up. And dodging sunbeams. But at 10:30 am it is too hot to continue out there. So I guess it is laundry and such inside.

it's over cast and a few drops of rain fall every once in a while. It's strange. The driveway isn't even wet because literally a very few drops will fall and then no more for an hour or two.

I didn't do anything outside today though. I hope to get started this coming week. I can't clean up the garden when the cukes and tomatoes are still producing.

My cat kills everything.

Rain here too .chilly 50 or 60º

Cats are worth gold for mousing.

But cats are natural enemies of Birds......Yummmmmmmmmm

I didn't get out until around noon and it was hot so I didn't get much done. But I started cutting the front yard again. The back the weeds are so tall I probably need a machette.

But at least one dusty miller has survived and that's a good thing.

Sooner or later I will get the seeds from the zinnia and basil but not as of yet. I'm so slow this year.

Isn't that amusing how the weed dont die in the Heat or the winter.
Always they when the snow melts..

b

They are like hope...they spring eternal. lol

It's just getting light out. So in a couple of hours I plan to see what I can get accomplished.