Down the Garden Path

With a slight modification of your fall to-do list, you can get everything done in a way that benefits the health of your garden, and with less of a time crunch.

Did you know that you can plant one garlic clove in the fall and with minimal fuss, get a whole head the following summer?

Bring tropical plants inside well before the first frost. It is better to err on the side of bringing them in too early than too late.

Saving seeds from some common vegetable plants can save money while resulting in the healthiest, most productive specimens from year to year.

Fall is a great time to get a head start on many of the things on next year’s to-do list.

Its bright red flowers are of a color not commonly found in native plants and shows up nicely in a native landscape.

In northern Illinois, late August through mid-September is an ideal time to reseed your lawn.

Gardening, even here in the Midwest, is really a year-round vocation, and success comes from thinking a season, or two, ahead.

Take a basket every time you visit the garden so you can pick vegetables at their peak. They not only taste their best, harvesting also boosts production of more veggies.

The sight of light brown fur is cause for alarm, knowing that hosta beds are now under threat.

What scraps, specifically? Almost anything except dairy, animal products or oils. Say yes to fruit or vegetable waste, eggshells, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, paper towels and napkins, paper scraps, pet hair, even dryer lint.

One thing to bear in mind when tending your garden is that a stressed plant, caused by insufficient watering or poor nutrition, is more susceptible to insect damage or disease than a healthy one.

Employing the right watering strategies help both you and your plants.

Given enough sun and the right amount of water, tomato plants are easy to grow.

Wouldn’t it be worth a little extra work to pick a handful of fresh blueberries for your bowl of cereal or smoothie every morning? And imagine taking a bite of homegrown blueberry pie.