Speaking of Frank’s great presentations, here are his 10 things to do this Fall to save [time & money] in spring.

1. GardenKeeping tasks:

• Weed the garden
• Clean tools before storage
• Remove annuals
• Remove dead, damaged or diseased plants and fallen leaves

2. Buildup soil:

• Amend soil. Frank prefers sheep vs cow manure because sheep manure has less weed seeds
• Sow cover crop over bare soil (ie. Winter wheat)

3. Plant:

[while soil temps are above 10 degree Celsius (50 degree Fahrenheit)]

• Trees & shrubs
• Perennials
• Spring-flowering bulbs

4. Propagate:

[add more plants to next year's garden without a huge expense]

• Harvest seeds from annuals
• Divide perennials

5. Compost & mulch shredded fall leaves

6. Protect Plants from:

• Rabbit damage
• Mouse damage
• Winter burn

7. Prune:

• Late flowering shrubs, not spring flowering shrubs

8. Reflect & Plan:

• Review you garden year, successes and failures
• Set goals for next year’s garden

9. Bring them indoors:

• Tropical flowering shrubs
• Tubers & corms

10. Water:

• Keep trees and shrubs well watered.

[Hydrated plants survive frost, freeze and thaw events far better than water-stressed plants.]

And you thought you couldn’t garden in the fall…have you finished Frank’s fall gardening list yet?