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Tips for Fall Gardening
- Winterize Garden Tools: One of the biggest expenses for home gardeners is tools. High-quality shovels, rakes, pruners, and hand trowels cost more, but will also last longer. Buy the best you can afford and take care of your investment by cleaning and storing tools properly so they will take care of you. The time and effort will extend the tool’s life span.
- It's Time to Take a Soil Test: Over time, soil fertility, pH, and even soil structure can change as nutrients are depleted. Testing the soil can provide home gardeners a better understanding of the site and save them money.
- Tree and Shrub Planting Guide: Trees and shrubs are in transplant shock for multiple seasons after planting. Larger plants are in shock longer than smaller ones. Most potted or balled and burlapped trees will have up to three years of transplant shock. To overcome transplant shock, trees and shrubs need to expand their root system beyond the planting hole. A mature tree will typically have a root system at least two times wider than the spread of its limbs, which explains why a planted trees need time to develop their roots.
- Planting and Growing Garlic: Garlic is a favorite garden plant because it is so common in the culinary world. The flavor of fresh, home grown garlic surpasses anything from the grocery store. Garlic is a long-season crop. It is planted in the fall, because it needs a cold period to produce bulbs, and is harvested in the summer.