October! Leaves, Crisp Air, And Winter Preparation
Fall is the time when the world starts winding down and going to sleep for the coming winter. Yet, October makes us feel so ALIVE! Maybe it’s the crisp air, or the crackling of leaves on the ground, or the anticipation of Holiday smells and winter nights in front of a fire.
With the coming of the colder months we also need to do some winter preparation. This is the time to clean and remove leaves, dead plants and lawn trimming leftovers. Get a burn permit to burn the piles or add them to your compost pit for use the following year. Add some soil conditioners, manure, or peat to the spot for next years garden. Lay some grass seed in bare spots on your lawn, cover with straw and let nature do it’s own preparations for some fresh new grass in the Spring. Plant your fall bulbs and lay a little straw on them also.
Keep water on your perennials, trees and shrubs at least once a week until the first snow cover. Here in Colorado they will still need the water until then. Clean the leaves out of your gutters so they work right on those great “thaw” days we get even in the middle of the winter.
Don’t forget to drain all your hoses and roll them up and store in the shed or garage. There is nothing worse than the first day you can water in the Spring and you realize that twisted, cracked mess laying in a mud hole used to be your hose! While you are putting things away, clean up all those garden tools, put them away and pull out that snow shovel and ice scraper.
Pull out the storm windows or make some fitted panels out of trim and thick plastic to be ready to cover the windows to keep out the frigid winter air. Wash the windows before it gets too cold, clean off the cobwebs inside and out and get ready to tuck yourself in for the winter.
Now you’re ready to go outside, put on your favorite fuzzy sweater, take a brisk walk, capture photos of the last changing leaves, and start planning for a time of pumpkin pies, steaming hot cocoa and snoozing by the fire!