Some timely garden tips for you:

*Terry Skillin leads off our Garden Talks section with a recent post to the
 our Skillin's Garden Log called "Trees Painted Up for Fall!".

"It seems that I have just planted my spring crop of peas and now its fall? I remember old men telling me how fast time goes by. Of course I was in my late teens and early twenties; I knew it all and that was how old men talked. Well I now know precious little and the people I thought were old men were younger then than I am now. I am not really sure what has been happened to me but I do have a handle on the color of the trees.

During the growing season most leaves are made green by a chemical called chlorophyll. Plants use this chlorophyll in photosynthesis which leads to the production of glucose then they use the glucose for energy. Of course it is not quite that simple (a lot more goes on). Plants produce oxygen, they filter out toxic material in the air and it all works well until the season changes. Chlorophyll is produced with the help of the sun and warmer temperatures and as the days become shorter and the temperature --especially night temperature-- begins to drop, the production of chlorophyll slows down.

So where are the tree's new colors coming from? I used to tell my brother that small woodland critters did it and they were going to get to him too...." For the remainder of this post, a good lesson on how and why trees change color in the fall and some more good humor click HERE to go the "rest of the story".

*Raking time is upon us! We have some neatly priced and great quality lawn rakes as well as a great new product called the Leafmate to help you quickly and easily bag those leaves. Need those brown leaf bags? We have them at a great price at Skillin's and unlike your local Town Hall that sells the free bags we are open 7 days per week!

Speaking of raking, take some extra time to pick up any old fruit and limbs from your fruit trees that may be lying on the ground. Fallen live growth left for too long can harbor diseases and even insects that can cause problems next year in the garden.

*Fall is a great time for soil preparation! If you have not done so for a few months, get some Plant Tone by Espoma or Pro Start by North Country Organics worked into the soil. As I often write, these fertilizers are the safest, best and most long-term way to bring needed nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium to your soil.   

*We have posted loads of easy to follow and truly reliable Fall Gardening Tips at www.skillins.com! Since 1885 we have helped many a gardener, many a generation really Garden Green. This is Fall 2010 and the Time is Now to make your Garden Better than ever! Cultivate those Autumn Hues to Chase Away the Cold Weather Blues!

*The Time is Now to plant Fall Bulbs that will bloom and bloom next Spring. Terry Skillin always tells us that the first step toward gardening for next Spring is the planting of fall bulbs this fall. Smart guy he is! Come see why we still have the best selection of fall bulbs in southern Maine (or should I say Skillin's Country!!)

 Paul Parent of the Paul Parent Garden Club is a good friend of Skillin's and he recently wrote 2 excellent posts about planting fall bulbs that we feature at the Skillin's Garden Log. These posts are chock full of history and horticultural information. They are titled Daffodils, Narcissus and Jonquils and Hyacinths. Paul has a great Sunday morning garden radio show and he is a darned good writer to boot!

 *Good gardening friend and Skillin's associate David K posts a terrific garden blog called A Garden in Maine. I highly recommend you check his blog frequently as David is a wonderful local Maine home gardener who is exploring new garden techniques all the time, grows a great variety of plants in his home garden AND he loves to pass on what he learns!

*Find even more gardening tips throughout this month at "October Garden Talks 2010"! at our Skillin's Garden Log.

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