Plant In Fall for Spring Bulbs

If you time it right, you can plant spring-blooming bulbs toward the end of fall or early winter and allow them enough time to root into the ground and come out when spring arrives.

An informative Garden Design article recommends waiting until nighttime temperatures are consistently hovering around 50 degrees. The cool soil temperatures will prevent your bulbs from blooming too early. 

Though you want to wait until your soil is cool, you also want to plant the bulbs weeks before the first expected ground freeze in your area. Too much heat and your bulbs will bloom early, too much cold and they won’t be able to nestle into the hard, frozen soil. 

It’s about finding the sweet spot as the seasons gradually change.

If you live in a location with highly sporadic weather or you feel nervous trying to time the planting of your bulbs, we have the perfect backup plan.

You can always plant your bulbs in an isolated environment like a pot or holding bed that is well-sheltered and covered with a few inches of mulch. This will give them protection throughout the winter and allow you better control of their viability.

Snag some good local mulch right here. 

Fertilize In Fall

Grass and lawns can be more fickle than a tired toddler. And the shifting weather of fall and winter can make you feel totally at loss for anything you can do to save your lawn. 

Fertilizer provides a nourishing boost to your lawn that aids it in the fight against frigid temperatures. Here’s how to prep your lawn for a much-needed fertilizer fuel up. 

1. If you haven’t yet, rake up all the dead grass left over from those dog days of summer and toss it in compostable trash bags. 

2. If you can see thick, windy weeds coming up from the grass, you may need to zap them with herbicide now so they don’t stay rooted and stick around for next spring.

3. Spread the fertilizer out evenly across the surface of your lawn, using a spreader if you have one. Fertilizer feeds the grass and helps it grow during these cold months, so make sure you use a sufficient amount and cover every square inch evenly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9ShvDQ3cHY

That’s (F)all, Folks

Don’t be afraid of fall or it’s more frigid and frightening cousin, winter. By cleaning up excess, dead growth, planting perennials and bulbs, and fertilizing your lawn, you can set your landscape up to survive fall and winter and burst back to life in spring.

Charles W. Chesnutt said “as man sows, so shall he reap.” So get sowing and be glad you did in months to come.