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Putting the Garden to Bed
Greetings!
The phrase that's going through my head now is "before
the snow flies." Granted, we've had some flurries, but I'm focused on
cutting back perennials, raking leaves, mounding roses, getting pots put away,
planting bulbs, and more in preparation for that first, true snowfall. (Not
that I haven't mounded roses while tromping through snow, but I definitely do
not recommend it!)
Wondering
what you should be doing and when to do it? Click here for an Iowa fall
garden chore checklist to assure that your garden weathers winter as well as
possible.
Happy garden cleanup!
 Veronica Lorson Fowler |
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Forget the Bonemeal
Should you or shouldn't you? The jury seems to be out on
whether it's a good idea to sprinkle bonemeal in the planting hole with
spring-blooming bulbs. Me, my vote is to leave it out. I do think bonemeal attracts
cats, dogs, and other diggers. I also think because of the way it's now
processed, bonemeal adds little to the soil. Instead, I'd add a good spadeful of
compost to the planting hole. Compost is free AND it's guaranteed to improve your
garden!
Be sure to buy top-sized bulbs (I'm
sorry to say most of the cheap bulbs in the big box stores are not. However,
happily most of those from the local garden centers are.) Otherwise, you may
have few or straggly blooms next spring.
You
can keep planting bulbs now until the ground starts to freeze, but it's best to
do it by the end of the month.
For
more info on planting bulbs, click here.
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'Long Keeper' Tomatoes
The other half of The Iowa Gardener, Ben Allen, gave me a
seedling this spring of a nifty, weird tomato, 'Long Keeper'. It's an heirloom
tomato that you plant a little late, in June, for very late harvest right
before frost. The tennis-ball sized tomatoes are picked green, and then slowly
ripen over period of a few to several weeks indoors. These oddballs get a
splotchy golden  color on the outside, but once ripe are deep red inside. They'll supply you with garden fresh tomatoes through Thanksgiving!
Click here for a mail-order seed source (you won't find this one in
garden centers).
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Free Iowa Fall Maple Computer Wallpaper
 Ben also took a photo of this gorgeous maple in Des Moines,
just starting to turn. I've got it saved as my desktop wallpaper. It makes me happy every time I look at it. Click here to turn it into your computer
wallpaper!
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Fill Your Windowboxes and Pots
As I cut back my perennials for fall cleanup, it's fun to
tuck the gleanings into windowboxes and pots. After I pull out the annuals, my
containers are usually about half full with soil. Cut back the perennials in your garden
and insert them directly into the remaining soil.
In
my windowbox here, I have oatgrass, hydrangeas, astible seedheads, and lythrum
foliage. I also tucked in a couple of decorative pumpkins I picked up at Earl
May, as well as the trailing seedheads of sweet autumn clematis from my arbor.
They'll
stay here until early November, when I cut evergreens from my yard to fill them
for the holidays.
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Ask Veronica a Question
If you're a subscriber, email Veronica with your garden questions and she'll do her very best to get back to you within two business days. Click here! |
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Garden To-Do List
Click here for a complete
listing of fall chores for your Iowa garden!
Pull up all annuals, including those in the veggie garden. Pitch
on the compost heap.
Cut back perennials damaged by the
frost.
After the first frost, dig
up and store indoors any tender bulbs, such as gladiolus, cannas, dahlias, and
caladiums, that you want to store over the winter.
Empty all pots and store
indoors for the winter. In Iowa's harsh winters, even plastic containers will
crack and clay pots will definitely shatter.
If you have any newly planted trees, especially fruit trees,
wrap them with a protective tree wrap now. It prevents sun scald and
also prevents rabbits and rodents from nibbling the tasty bark. Remove in
spring.
Perennials and strawberries
do best with 1 to 4 inches of a loose, removable mulch over and/or around them.
Leaves chopped by running a mower over them are perfect.
Protect roses. Mound all but rugosa roses around the base with 8 to 12 inches
of compost or rich, dark soil to protect the bud union (right above the roots)
from winter cold.
Hybrid
teas, grandiflora, and floribunda roses--the least cold hardy types--are more
likely to survive the winter if you also wrap their stems in burlap and twine.
Click here for more info on types of roses for Iowa.
Plant spring-blooming
bulbs. Water well after
planting.
Plant mums as desired. You
can buy them now in full bloom.
Force bulbs now, as
desired.
Fertilize cool season lawns, such as Kentucky bluegrass,
ryes, and fescues, to encourage good root growth.
Also
fertilize warm-season grasses, such as zoysia, also to prompt them to green up
faster in spring.
Rake leaves as needed. Keep them off the grass--they can suffocate turf.
Do one final mowing after the frost.
Maintain your mower and sharpen the blade.
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Garden Events
Tuesday, October 27, Ames
Reiman Gardens
Pumpkin Decorating Workshop. 6:30
pm. Learn about pumpkins and decorate one to take home. $9-$15.
Pre-registration required.
October 1-31,
Des Moines
Des Moines Botanical Center
10:00 am-5:00 pm. Scarecrows
in the Garden. Created by Des Moines-area art students from a variety of
recycled materials.
November 6-7,
Des Moines
Des Moines Botanical Center
2nd Annual Holiday Bulb Mart & Craft Sale
Members preview Friday November 6. Open to the public 10 am-5 pm on Saturday, November 7. Includes the annual sale of the Iowa Regional
Lily Society.
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Quote:
"For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering
together. For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad."
-
Edwin Way Teale
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