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Mon-Sat:
6:00am - 9:00pm
Sun:
8:00am - 8:00pm
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09:00am - 6:00pm
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When you're ready to seed your lawn, our calculator helps you estimate the amount of grass seed you'll need to get the job done.
Enter your preferred material, the square footage and mulch depth of the coverage space for accurate results.
We'll calculate the amount of fencing you should purchase based on your property needs.
How do I harvest my produce when it's ripe?
To pick your produce straight from the vine, push aside the leaves and pinch the stem just above the vegetable. Hold the stem tightly with the fingers of one hand, then with your dominant hand, twist the produce. Keep rotating the veggie, twisting the stem until it comes loose of the main stem.
How can I use downed tree trunks and branches after tree removal?
Wood chippers make tiny chips, while log splitters leave you with more manageable chunks of wood. After pruning trees and bushes with hedge trimmers or a gas chainsaw, clean up the debris in a wood chipper. If your trees are healthy, the bark chips and chopped wood make mulch that you can spread in your fall garden. If you removed a tree, you can either get a log splitter or an axe to break up the downed tree into smaller pieces. A wood splitter is quicker and a wise investment if you're doing an expansive amount of tree cleanup, and bigger is better here.
What do I do with all these leaves on my lawn?
Stay on top of leaf maintenance with just a few tools. For a classic method, go with a rake, some work gloves, and lawn bags. We've also got leaf blowers if you'd prefer outdoor power tools.
How do I store my garden tools for the season?
To make next spring easier, clean your garden tools before you store them. Remove dirt and grime with a soak in soapy water, then dry your tools well. Next, soak them in a bleach and water mix for 20 minutes to disinfect them, and follow with a rinse. Then, polish off rust with a wire brush, oil them with WD-40 or vegetable oil if necessary, and ensure they're dry before hanging them in a garage or shed.
How do I winterize a hose faucet?
Prepare for freezing temps by covering outside spigots with faucet covers. Shutting down the outdoor spigot can be put off until washing the car in the driveway or watering the garden is done for the year, but don't wait until the temps drop into the 40s. With all hoses disconnected, turn off the indoor valves that control the spigots, then open the taps and let them run until the water stops. If you have in-ground sprinklers or an irrigation system, drain those as well as per the manufacturer's instructions. You may need an air compressor to remove every drop of water. While you're at it, get a pool vacuum and pool cover and winterize your swimming pool, too.
How early do I prep for shoveling snow?
In climates where it gets cold and snowy, early fall is the time to prepare your snow removal equipment. Snow blowers are great, but keep an ice scraper and snow shovel to chip away ice patches and clear trouble spots. Find one-, two-, and three-stage snow blowers in electric and gas options. Rock salt and ice melt can clear walkways with less effort and help keep you safer when you make quick trips to the mailbox or car. Shop now before the weather cools more and the snow rolls in.
On a fresh fall day, take advantage of the weather and do a second round of planting and outdoor maintenance. Now is a great time to get fall flowers and flower bulbs in the ground. Neaten up your bushes and trees, too, with chainsaws and pole saws. Read on for more on fall garden maintenance, fall planting, and how to transition to your fall lawn and garden.
Patch or Fertilize Your Lawn
Repair bald spots on your lawn by spreading fresh grass seed. Cooler weather is a great time to fill in dead, brown, or bare places in your yard. However, you should try to keep fallen leaves off freshly seeded areas. New grass seed needs water, air, and sun to grow, and leaf litter can block out the sunlight and air it needs to germinate.
If your lawn is in good shape, make sure it stays that way by applying lawn fertilizer if you have cool-season grass. Rent an aerator to aerate your lawn before adding fertilizer to get the most bang for your buck. An edger gives extra polish to the perimeter of your yard. Water your cool-season lawn regularly and tend to any pesky fall weeds that show up. It'll need different maintenance than warm-season grass, which goes dormant as the weather cools. Taper down watering on warm-season lawns.
Fall Gardening
Many colorful fall flowers are annuals, like marigolds, so they last until the end of the year. Hardier plants, like pansies and chrysanthemums, should return in the spring. Always check the plant tag for info. If you want your mums to grow back next year, the label should call them chrysanthemum morifolium, hardy mums, or garden mums. If it says they're an annual or florist mum, you'll have flowers this year only.
Shrubs and succulents put on a show of flowers in the fall, especially if they're already established in the ground or kept in flower pots. Succulent planters allow for easier upkeep of sensitive succulents. Customize the soil to fit these desert plants, as they need a sandy succulent soil mixture.
For shrubs, look after the ones you've got or plant new ones, weather permitting. Get in new plants now, especially if you're in a warmer climate and have time before the frost and cold sets in. If you use retaining wall blocks to accent or surround your garden, try giving a finished look with rubber mulch. It'll overwinter just fine and look new longer than bark chips or other mulches that fade with weathering.
Cut and Cover Perennials
In climates where you might have a cold snap but then warm up above freezing, cover your plants. Protect your garden from frost and freeze damage to extend their season. You can get extra life out of your garden by covering your plants with buckets, tarps, or even painting drop cloths. It'll warm your plants like a greenhouse, and they'll survive a frost.
This works well when the weather is still transitional, until you're fully into the colder parts of the season. Uncover the plants when the thermometer goes up again and let them enjoy that autumn sun. Once the temperatures regularly dip below freezing, say goodbye to the garden for now.
Put the Garden to Bed
When the sun angle changes and your annuals start looking rougher, dig up the plants. Northern climates might be putting the garden to bed for the season in October or November. After your annuals are done blooming for the year, dig them up, then chop and dispose of the detritus, or dead plant debris. You can let them return their nutrients to the earth, but there are two exceptions: if your plants dealt with disease or if you had a snail problem.
After you've removed the old plants, you've got a clean slate. Prepare your garden bed for the spring by rotating the soil with a rototiller or shovel. You want to bring the deeper soil to the surface, send the topsoil lower down, and generally break up the ground. It helps nutrients penetrate and lets the soil rest. It's also an excellent opportunity to test the soil and see what, if any, soil amendments you need. Different crops and plants use different nutrients. Test your soil to see if it's balanced or if you should add certain nutrients that have been depleted.
Bring Potted Plants Indoors
Gardeners with potted plants can extend their growing season by bringing delicate plants indoors to a sunny window. Indoor gardening allows both outdoor plants to live longer and house plants to bring joy into your home. Just make sure they get enough water, and rotate them regularly to give all those leaves equal sunlight. If the pots don't have built-in overflow dishes, be sure to add shallow bowls beneath them to catch any extra water.
Warm the Outdoors with a Fire Pit
Stretch out your fall evenings with a fire pit, outdoor fireplace, or patio heater to take off the chill. No matter if you're looking for outdoor heaters for decks, small patios, or cozy porches, we've got options. All you have to do is discover the one that matches your decor style.
We've got fire bowls and fire pit tables ready to warm your outdoor space. Check out stylish propane and natural gas fire pits in a variety of shapes. We've also got woodburning fire pits and the firewood to stoke them. You can even build your own with fire pit kits or make it completely custom and build an in-ground fire pit to your exact specifications with pavers that lead to and surround the pit. Stop by your closest garden center to see what's in stock.
Ease Into Fall
This fall, prepare your lawn for the change of season with us. We've got everything you need for leaf cleanup, putting the garden to bed, and replenishing nutrients in your soil so it's ready for next spring. Shop our wide variety of fall garden care in our mobile app, online, or in the aisles of your Windham store.
142 River Rd
Lisbon, CT 06351
14.29 mi
Mon-Sat: 6:00am - 9:00pm
Sun: 8:00am - 8:00pm
1932 Norwich-new London Tpke
Uncasville, CT 06382
18.31 mi
Mon-Sat: 6:00am - 9:00pm
Sun: 8:00am - 8:00pm
80 Buckland Hills Dr
Manchester, CT 06042
20.10 mi
Mon-Sat: 6:00am - 10:00pm
Sun: 8:00am - 8:00pm