12 | RMPARENT

healthy living

For months, you’ve tilled, planted, watered, weeded, and now finally harvested. Reaping the benefits of

what you’ve sown into your family gar-den all summer long is one of the best reasons to welcome fall. When the last few weeks of the gardening season un-fold with the promise of an imminent frost, gardens are at their most fertile points. After harvesting plentiful fruits and vegetables, it feels as though it’s finally time to exhale.

But, don’t be hasty; your work is not yet complete. There is much to be done in the garden once the harvest has ended in-cluding clean-up, fall planting, and prepa-ration for winter. A little TLC in the fall can help your garden be better prepared to nourish seeds and fight pests when plant-ing season comes around again.

CLEAN uPRemove all annuals including fruit and vegetable plants from the root before the seeds drop. Allowing plants to go to seed can be a bonus if you want to grow the same plant in the same location year after year, but in most family-sized veg-etable gardens, it’s best to rearrange the plants each year for optimal growth.

If you’re not a master composter, it’s best to double-bag plant debris and put it in the trash rather than the compost pile. Unless you’re very good at getting good high temperatures in the compost pile, you’ll be more likely to end up with vol-unteer plants than nourishing compost food for next year’s sowing.

Cut back perennials by removing everything on the plant save for a few inches above the dirt.

Divide spring-blooming plants such as iris, dianthus, and primrose and later bloomers such as black-eyed Su-sans, geraniums, and daylilies.

Leaving some certain arugulas or brassica veggies in the ground, such

as kale, radishes, and cabbages, can attract, then kill off harmful pests. As these types of plants decompose, they release cyanide compounds that kill most types of worms.

Before the ground gets too hard, remove all weeds and debris and elimi-nate overwintering sites for insects and disease. Gently tilling the areas adds an extra protection.

COMPOST Dead, dried leaves and stems are perfect for the compost bin. Anything that is dead will be a great addition to the pile.

Any diseased or rotten tomato, potato, or squash foliage should be discarded, not composted, to prevent the spread of disease in compost. Late blight spores cannot continue to repro-duce throughout winter unless there is live tissue from these plants.

PREP FOR wINTERMulch the garden with a blanket of chopped-up leaves and grass clippings.

Clean tool blades with vegetable oil and handles with sandpaper for rust-free winter storing.

Detach garden hoses and blow out sprinkler systems; drain and store hoses in a sheltered area such as a shed or garage.

Check out clearance prices for pot-ting soil, fertilizers, soil amendments, tools, and other supplies to stock up for spring while saving money.

PLANT SPRINg BuLBSGarlic is a common favorite; for the best results, plant garlic any time from the first frost (mid-October in northern Colorado) up until early November. The bulbs will

begin growing roots right away and will grow again in the spring when the soil temperatures reach about 40 degrees F.

Most bulbs do well in full sun (six hours per day) and well-drained soil.

Get the right depth. Most bulbs should be planted in a hole that is about two to three times deeper than the height of the bulb. Plant them pointy side up.

PLAN FOR NExT YEARWhile the information is fresh in your mind, start a plan for next year’s ap-proach. Note what worked and didn’t work with detail. Which plants grew well? Which areas didn’t get the sun (or shade) you thought they would? Did your plants use the room they had or did they need more? Which variety of tomatoes grew best and were the most delicious?

Getting your garden winter-readyClean, compost, prep and plan for next year

L E a h a N S O N