Garden Center at Chandler #470

When a crisp day breezes in, hinting at the seasonal change, take advantage of it to do outdoor maintenance. Bushes and trees need a trim with a chainsaw as they're slowing growth for the season. Fallen leaves are likely a concern, so check out rakes, leaf blowers, and lawn bags. Remember a wheelbarrow and buckets to contain a bountiful fall harvest. You may even be able to garden throughout fall and into winter. Read on to learn how to ease into your fall lawn and garden.

Patch or Fertilize Your Lawn
Patch bald spots on your lawn by learning how to seed a lawn in the fall. Cooler weather is a great time to fill in brown or bare places in your yard. However, be mindful of fallen leaves on freshly seeded areas. New grass seed needs air, sun, and water 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. Aerate your lawn before fertilizing to get those nutrients down near the roots right off the bat. Water your cool-season lawn regularly and tend to any pesky 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.

Plant Flower Bulbs
If you've got your eye on springtime tulips and daffodils, plant them soon. They need time to grow downward. Check your plant hardiness zone before planting. In colder climates, certain bulb flowers should be planted in spring instead. Find ideas for spring flowering bulbs and plan your iris, daffodil, and tulip displays now. Garlic and onions can also go in for next spring's harvest, but they won't need soil additives.

Encourage deep roots by sprinkling bone meal in the surrounding soil before you plant the flowers. Follow the instructions on the package and do not apply more than recommended. If you do add more, you may end up with a tulip plant with one gigantic leaf and no flowers, for example.

There are a few instances where you can skip the bone meal entirely and use something else. If you've already got exceptionally healthy soil that's full of nutrient-rich compost, just plant the flower bulbs. Superphosphate is an option if your dog tries to dig up the bone meal and bulbs. It's also smart to use the phosphate if your property has squirrels, mice, or raccoons who may want to dig up the bulbs and bone meal for a tasty snack.

Cut and Cover Perennials
In climates where you might have a cold snap but then warm up above freezing again, 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 tarps, 5-gallon buckets, or even painting drop cloths. It'll warm your plants like a blanket or greenhouse, and they'll survive a frost. Read other fall-planted perennial tips, too.

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 fall sun. Once the temperatures regularly dip below freezing, bid a fond farewell to the garden for the rest of the year.

Put the Garden to Bed
When your annuals start looking rougher, it's time to dig up the plants. Northern climates that get cold earlier in the fall may be putting the garden to bed for the season in October or November, while warmer climates might wait until November or December. After your vegetable plants have given a final harvest, dig them up and dispose of the dead plant debris. Feel free to let them decompose to enrich the soil unless you had one of 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 shovel or renting a rototiller. You want to bring the deeper soil to the surface, send the topsoil lower down, and generally break up the ground. It lets the soil rest and helps nutrients penetrate. 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 ought to restore 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 leaves equal sunlight. Remember to place decorative dishes beneath them if the pots don't have built-in overflow dishes to catch any extra water.

Warm the Outdoors with an Outdoor Fireplace
Stretch out your fall evenings with an outdoor fireplace, fire pit, or patio heater to take off the chill. No matter if you're looking to heat a small patio, a cozy back porch, or a spacious deck, we've got options. All you have to do is pick the one that matches your decor style.

When you're curious about how to build an outdoor fireplace or how to choose an outdoor fireplace, we have the supplies you need. Bricks, mortar, a wheelbarrow, trowels, and more — let us help you get this fall project from doing to done. If you'd love some extra heat but rather not install a fire pit or fireplace, we also have patio heaters, including gas, propane, and electric models.

Ease Into Autumn
This fall, prepare your lawn for the seasonal change with us. We have the supplies you need for putting the garden to bed, leaf cleanup, and replenishing nutrients in your soil so it's ready for next spring. Shop our wide variety of outdoor living products and fall garden care in your local store, online, or in our mobile app.