| Autumn is upon us. When the green leaves start | | | | may be harboring. Mix 1 cup household bleach with |
| fading into their maroon, brown and yellow colors, | | | | 9 cups of water, or half a cup of bleach with 4 |
| we know that autumn is finally here. Summertime | | | | and a half cups water. Be careful to wear shoes |
| fun is being packed up for next year. Pools are | | | | and clothes that can be accidentally whitened. |
| being drained and the beach balls and flip-flops are | | | | Label the spray bottle as 10% bleach and keep it |
| traded in for jackets and boots. What does an | | | | handy for other uses. |
| avid gardener have to look forward to? Next | | | | Clean your tools in the same manner. Spray them |
| growing season, of course! | | | | with water or bleach solution and then give a |
| Here are the fall chores that will help you get | | | | rinse. Dry them in the sun. Once the tools and |
| ready for next year's gardening fun. | | | | flower pots are dry store them in plastic bins or |
| Before it gets too cold outside identify plants you | | | | boxes or hang them up in the garage. |
| want to bring inside, like tender herbs or flowering | | | | If you don't have an area set aside for your |
| plants. Dig them up and re-pot, if necessary. | | | | gardening stuff, now is the time to make one. |
| Some gardeners bring in special plants each year. | | | | Try a peg board for hanging pruners, spades and |
| To make it easier in the fall, they'll dig a hole as | | | | trowels. A simple 2x4 board will suffice as a |
| big as the pot the plant is in and sink the pot right | | | | hanger. Just pound some nails into it once you nail |
| into the ground in the spring. Then, all they need | | | | the board to the wall of your garage. Then you |
| to do in the fall is dig up the pot. If kept trimmed, | | | | can hang up your rakes and shovels, too. |
| the plant may not even need re-potting. | | | | Bring in little gnomes and flower garden |
| After the first frost when the flowers and plants | | | | decorations that would get ruined in the freezing |
| have started to die back, empty any potted | | | | and thawing winter weather. Clean them just as |
| plants right into the compost heap. The potting soil | | | | you do for tools and flower pots and store them |
| can be recycled and the vegetation can be | | | | away for next year's fun. Dispose of any broken |
| composted into good dirt for next year's plants. | | | | or rusty parts that could injure hands or feet. |
| The empty pots should at least be sprayed clean | | | | Bird baths should be emptied and sanitized with |
| with a hard spray from the garden hose. Rubbing | | | | the 10% bleach solution. Store the basin in the |
| your hand along the inside and outside of the | | | | garage or under the deck near the house. If left |
| flower pots will loosen the film of soil that clings to | | | | outside, store the basin upside down so it doesn't |
| the surfaces. Spray again with water to rinse and | | | | collect water which could then freeze, expand and |
| set the pots to dry in the sun. | | | | break your bird bath. |
| More vigorous cleaning of pots should be done, | | | | One last thing to do is to disconnect your garden |
| especially if there were any disease problems this | | | | hoses, drain them of all water and coil them up |
| year. Get a spray bottle and fill with a watered | | | | for storage. Sink a few large nails into the rafters |
| down bleach solution. A 10% bleach solution will kill | | | | of your garage or use a 2x4 with nails to hang up |
| lots of bacteria and viruses that your flower pots | | | | the hoses in your shed or garage. |