Fall is the time to plant garlic, tulips, move firs

Now that we are done with summer garden care, it’s time to think about fall chores.

Mid-October is the perfect time to plant garlic for harvest in late July next year. Cloves planted this fall will use the last of the warm soil to grow strong roots. In the spring, the plants will be able to start growing as soon as it’s warm enough. Garlic for planting can be purchased at most garden stores. Prepare a garden bed by mixing in compost. Break the garlic bulb up and plant the largest cloves; large cloves mean large bulbs at harvest. Save the small ones for the kitchen. Plant the cloves at least two to three inches deep and spaced six inches apart in rows eight inches apart. Mulch the bed with clean straw or pine needles to help even out soil temperature and prevent frost heaving.

Speaking of pine needles, now is the time to stockpile mulch and organic material for compost piles and next year’s garden. Leaves and needles can be shredded with a lawn mower or shredder and then piled in a corner of the garden until they are needed. Another option is to cover your vegetable garden with four inches of this mulch now to get a jump on the early weeds in the spring. Pine needles aren’t the best choice for a compost pile, but they make really good rose mulch. They allow moisture to drain away and don’t harbor rodents.

Late fall is a good time to move conifers. Water the tree well a day or so ahead of moving. Prepare a dish-shaped hole as deep as the root ball of the tree. Starting at the drip line, work a shovel or digging fork around the tree to loosen the roots taking as large a root mass as you can. Set the tree in its new hole at the same level it was and backfill with native soil. Build a raised ring of soil around the tree and fill it with water. If you are in a windy area, stake the tree for the winter using stakes and pieces of old garden hose around the trunk. The garden hose won’t cut into the tree’s bark. Remove the support in the spring.

As long as the ground is thawed you can still plant spring bulbs. Many nurseries may even have them on sale shortly. In general, bulbs can be planted in any well-drained soil at a depth of three times their height. To plant a large group, dig a large hole and place the bulbs in it about two inches apart. Be sure you mark where you planted them so you don’t dig into them in the spring. Remember that deer love tulips, so plant them in a protected area. If you have a lot of gophers or voles, consider planting them in wire or plastic baskets made for the purpose.

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