Simple ways to save money while you garden
Every fall, gardeners fill bags with something they may turn around and pay to replace a few months later. Fallen leaves can become mulch, compost and organic matter, making them one of the most useful free materials your yard produces. Instead of hauling them away, strategic leaf mulch uses can protect exposed soil, suppress winter…
By October, the lawn mower may be running less often, but putting lawn care completely on hold can create problems that show up next spring. Grass type, climate and local frost dates determine exactly what your yard needs, yet several October lawn care jobs can protect turf through colder weather without requiring an expensive lineup…
Fall cleanup has a satisfying rhythm: pull the annuals, rake the leaves, put away the hoses and trim everything that looks unruly before winter. But reaching for the pruning shears simply because a shrub looks messy can create problems that won’t become obvious until months later. Some fall pruning mistakes remove flower buds that have…
If your tomatoes are fading and the first frost is showing up on the forecast, don’t assume this year’s vegetable garden is finished. Several cool-season crops grow quickly enough to squeeze another harvest from beds that would otherwise sit empty, and some tolerate temperatures that would wipe out summer vegetables overnight. The trick is choosing…
By September and October, a garden that looked spectacular in June can suddenly feel tired, brown, and surprisingly empty. That doesn’t mean you need to rip everything out or spend a small fortune filling the gaps with decorative pumpkins and disposable plants. The right fall flowers can keep beds and containers colorful well after many…
A neighbor cuts down a tree, posts “free firewood” online, and suddenly you can picture a winter’s worth of backyard fires without spending a dime. Before loading your truck, however, there’s one question worth asking: Where did that wood come from? The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service warns that invasive insects and diseases…
That first chilly weather forecast can send gardeners racing outside with pruners, buckets, and a vague feeling that everything needs to be finished immediately. Fortunately, most fall garden chores aren’t nearly that urgent, but a handful of garden jobs before first frost really do deserve priority because freezing temperatures can damage tender plants, ruin produce,…
For years, the standard fall routine was simple: rake every leaf, stuff the pile into bags, and make the lawn look as though autumn never happened. Now gardeners are increasingly told to “leave the leaves,” which sounds wonderfully easy until a thick layer of wet maple leaves is plastered across the grass. The truth is…
Every fall, homeowners rake up something useful, stuff it into bags, haul it away, and then head back to the garden center a few months later to buy products that do many of the same jobs. Fallen leaves aren’t simply yard debris; they’re a free source of organic material that can protect soil, suppress weeds,…