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Do you have what you need to make your garden grow?
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Garden Center
Store Hours
Mon-Sat:
6:00am - 10:00pm
Sun:
8:00am - 8:00pm
Curbside:
09:00am - 6:00pm
Location
245 Riverside St
Portland, ME 04103
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Grass Seed Calculator
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.
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Fencing Calculator
We'll calculate the amount of fencing you should purchase based on your property needs.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Gardening
Can I plant my fall vegetables in September?
If seeds or small transplants are part of your plan, start planting in late summer for fall or winter gardening. Warm climates can plant later in the year than cold northern climates. You may be able to grow leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables throughout the fall and into winter if you live in a warm climate. Check your planting zone for details on your growing season and specific plants, then read up on how to plant a fall vegetable garden.
Do fall leaves make good mulch?
You can make your own mulch from fallen leaves. Return nutrients to your soil instead of sending them to a landfill. Shred the leaves with a leaf shredder, or simply run over them with a lawn mower until they're finely chopped, then gather up the mulch to spread in the garden. If you don't have a homeowners' association making the rules, you can even mow over the leaves and let them decay into the earth. This gives your lawn a final nutrient boost before winter sets in. You can also leave the leaf litter as a home for moths and other critters to live.
How do I pick my garden veggies?
To pick your produce, push leaves aside and pinch the stem just above the veggie. Grasp the stem tightly with two or three fingers, then with your dominant hand, rotate the vegetable until it falls off into your hand. Repeat until you've harvested as much as you'd like. Enjoy your bounty, warm from the sun, as soon as you've given it a rinse.
How do I store my outdoor power tools for the winter?
To maintain outdoor power equipment, clean it before you store it. Check your owner's manual or the manufacturer's website for info on caring for a specific tool. To shut down gas-powered outdoor power equipment for the season, run each tool at an idle until the gasoline runs out, then change the oil so it's ready in the spring. For electric tools, remove the battery, put it in its storage case, and store it where it won't freeze — usually away from the tools themselves. It's a bit labor-intensive now, but you'll be glad you maintained your tools when you use them again.
The Home Depot Garden Center at Portland
On a fresh fall day, take advantage of the weather and do outdoor maintenance and a second round of planting. Now is a great time to get flower bulbs and fall flowers in the ground. Read on for more on fall planting, fall garden maintenance, and how to transition to your fall lawn and garden.
Fertilize or Patch Your Lawn
Patch up bald spots on your lawn by spreading fresh grass seed. Autumn is a great time to fill in dead or brown places in your yard. However, make sure leaves don't fall on freshly seeded areas. New grass seed needs air, water, and sun to grow, and leaf litter can block out the air and sunlight 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 adding fertilizer to get those nutrients down near the roots right away. Water your cool-season lawn regularly and tend to any 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 Planting
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, garden mums, or hardy mums. If it says they're an annual or florist mum, you'll need to replant next year.
Shrubs and succulents often flower 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 in the planters 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 cold and frost comes.
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 greenhouse or blanket, 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 in the morning when it warms up again and let them enjoy that fall sunshine. Once the temperatures regularly dip below freezing, bid a fond farewell to the garden for now.
Put the Garden to Bed
When your annuals start looking rougher, dig up the plants. Northern climates that get cold earlier in the fall might 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 their final harvest, dig them up and dispose of the detritus, or dead plant debris. Feel free to let them decay to enrich the soil unless you had one of two exceptions: if your plants dealt with disease or if you had a slug 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 ought to replenish certain nutrients that have been depleted.
Indoor Gardening
Gardeners with potted plants can extend their growing season by bringing the 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 turn them regularly to give all leaves equal sunlight for photosynthesis, and make sure they get enough water. 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 an outdoor fireplace, fire pit, 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.
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 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 Fall
This fall, tidy up your lawn and garden with us. We've got everything 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 in your Portland store, online, or in our mobile app.
Nearby Stores
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300 Clarks Pond Pkwy
South Portland, ME 04106
3.70 mi
Mon-Sat: 6:00am - 10:00pm
Sun: 8:00am - 8:00pm
20 Franklin Drive
Windham, ME 04062
12.18 mi
Mon-Sat: 6:00am - 9:00pm
Sun: 8:00am - 8:00pm
550 Alfred St
Biddeford, ME 04005
16.97 mi
Mon-Sat: 6:00am - 10:00pm
Sun: 8:00am - 8:00pm
