Gardening Tips | ButterflySwirl » fall planting

Keep Growing In The Fall : Fall Crops

Lindsay Hamilton — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:28:07 +0000

Even though cool weather is looming, it does not mean no more plants and no more growing. There are wonderful fall crops you can start right away. The best part about fall crops is that they need less care as would a spring crop.

Weeds that you struggle with all through spring and summer will dissipate once fall settles in so you don’t have to worry about maintenance. As well, bugs will be less frequent once cooler weather comes. Another great thing is that the cool weather won’t dry out your soil so you won’t have to water frequently.

So what can you grow in the fall? Lots of great foods. You can plant carrots, lettuce, parsnips, collards, spinach and radishes. Before you know it, you will have a plentiful garden full of your favorite veggies.

Planting Crocosmia Lucifer Bulbs

Lindsay Hamilton — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:23:34 +0000

Here is a great instructional video on planting fall bulbs and in particular, Crocosmia Lucifer Bulbs. These plants are beautiful and attract a lot of hummingbirds.

Preparing Your Garden For Winter

Lindsay Hamilton — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 17:04:13 +0000

Now that fall is approaching it’s time to prepare your garden for winter. The colder weather brings about some challenges to some plants you may have in your garden. With proper preparation, your garden will stay protected in the harsh winter months. It will also help it flourish in spring. Here’s how to prepare your garden for winter.

Steps To Get Your Garden Ready For Winter

Time To Close Down Your Garden – Start closing down your garden in late October and November when the temperature drops to the 40’s and 30’s F.
Move Plants Or Remove Plants – Autumn is a great time to take a moment and look at plants you want moved or removed from your garden.
Plant Your Bulbs – Fall is the time to plant your bulbs, and bare-root trees and shrubs.
Divide Your Perennials – Now is a great time to start dividing your perinials like day lillies or hosta plants. Dividing will maintain the health of your plant and will ensure a better coverage for next season.
Clean Away Dead Debris – Cut away flower heads and any dead branches. This will allow the plant to conserve its energy for the long winter.
Cover Delicate Plants – For delicate plants like roses it’s best to cover them to insulate them and protect them from snow and sub-zero temperatures.
Use Mulch To Insulate – It’s best to use mulch to cover the ground as in colder parts of the states, the ground will freeze.
Cut Back Your Perennials – This can also be done in the spring but fall is a good time as well.

Fall Tips To Planting Bulbs

Lindsay Hamilton — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:21:05 +0000

It’s time to plant bulbs for the new spring next year. If you want tulips, daffodils, snowdrops or crocuses, now is the time to start thinking about buying and planting fall bulbs. But before you get your gardening gloves on, here are some fall tips to planting bulbs.

Plant your fall bulbs at least 6 weeks before hard ground frosts.
It’s best to plant your bulb on a fall crisp sunny day.
When buying bulbs, pick large bulbs which indicates a mature bulb in order to yield large flowers.
Plant your bulbs as soon as possible or else store them in a dry cool place between 50 and 60 degrees F.
When planting bulbs avoid planting them in a soggy, shady place. Bulbs like sunny dry places.
Plant bulbs in bunches, 6-12 for small gardens and 12-24 for large gardens. Dig a big trench to plant your bulbs.
Plant large flowering bulbs such as tulips and daffodils 8-12 inches deep and smaller flowering bulbs like crocus and snowdrops 4-6 inches deep.
You may have difficulty finding the right way up for some bulbs such as windflowers. To resolve this plant these bulbs sideways.