Kevin Fogle
Last Wednesday , I gayly celebrated the autumnal equinoctial point . With the galactic start of fall , cool temperature are finally sink in into South Carolina , sweep out the heat and humidness . For gardener , the start of declination means a whole new curing of important gardening chores that are wait to be completed . And a head start now means less work for the spring planting season .
Here are some of my favorite tips to fill up out the grow season right .
1. Clean Up Garden Beds
If you ’re not rise coolheaded weather crops for the fall , now ’s the time to clean house up any works debris will behind from your summer plantings . Removing this constitutive cloth will help reduce the incidences of succeeding disease and pests . If you had take with plant diseases during the grow season , do not compost any of the moved plant remains as most domestic composters never get near the 130 or 140 degrees Fahrenheit needed to destroy many of these works pathogen .
2. Weed, Weed, Weed
I know everyone hatesweeding , especially after the harvest has ended . However , a good weeding in and around the garden at the end of the yr will help keep some weeds from overwintering and will ruin some important habitats for many insect pests . Also , if your garden plot is in your formal yard , like mine is , now is the clip to abut your garden plot to stop over the gradual encroachment of grasses .
3. Test And Amend Your Soil
Testing your soilthis clock time of year stand for you ’ll be able repair it well before the outflow planting season . Testing is as simple as contacting your local extension agent to get a sample purse or box and then following the instructions to submit your soil sampling . In the same venous blood vessel as soil examination , this is also the metre of class to be summate compost and other constituent materials now to enrich your garden grime .
4. Try Journaling Again
If you tried and failed to keep or update yourgarden journalduring the leap and summer months , now is a great meter to jot down a few cosmopolitan notes about any successes or failure you faced , preferent cultivars to grow again next year , a simple sketch mapping of plantings to aid with crop rotation for 2016 , and any other observations regarding the land term , disease and pests .
5. Maintain Your Equipment
Finally , clean and lightly oil your peter after you have finished your descent task . Store the clean tools in a dry environment off the solid ground . These simple steps will help protect your investment in good shovels , rakes and hoes by preventing rust and corrosion .
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