Duvet time in the Garden!

We have done this in October before only to regret it. Body heat gets trapped under our goose down duvet, providing all of the natural warmth that one could imagine. This is good in the depths of winter: it can be a hazard if you try it too early in the season.

I find the only way to remain 'cool' under a duvet this time of year is to hang one leg out of the side of the bed, exposed to the cooler room temperature air while the rest of my body bathes in the warmth of itself. My leg, then, acts like a radiator to the rest of my limbs.

Putting your garden to bed too soon can have the same effect on your plants: wrapped up nice and tight for the long cold winter ahead can cause plants to overheat. They, unfortunately, cannot hang a leg out for the short time that remains between now and the hard winter freeze up.

However, we cannot ignore the fact that the frost is on the pumpkin many mornings, and with it, the slow demise of our '09 gardening season is passing us by, right in front of our eyes.

What can be done to prepare your garden for winter - now?

1. Fertilize your lawn. This IS the most important application of lawn food that you will make all year long. Why? Because the plant sugars are concentrated at the root zone of your grass plants, where they build winter hardiness and provide the ability for your lawn to bounce back in good shape next spring.
Most people will not apply fall fertilizer: if you do, you will see the results for yourself, most likely, by comparing your own lawn to that of your neighbours.
I use Golfgreen as it does not contain phosphates (damaging to environment), contains a high percentage of slow release nitrogen that will continue to work early in spring and it is made in Canada. www.cil.nu-gro.com

2. Protect young trees. Mice, rats, rabbits and deer will wreak havoc on your young trees unless you protect them with a spiral shaped plastic tree wrap. I use 'forces' tree wrap if I need to extend the protection further up the tree trunk - as is the case with deer damage.

3. Protect young evergreens. Use burlap to protect young evergreen trees like Dwarf Alberta Spruce, Taxus (yews), boxwood, hardy holly and the like. Wrap in 2 layers - one for the wind (especially the prevailing west wind, in most cases) and another for the sun and potential salt damage.

4. Salt damage. People often e mail me in spring asking why their cedar hedge has turned brown, seemingly overnight. The answer, most often, is salt damage. Especially if your hedge is located on the east side of the road where it picks up the spray from passing cars in winter. West wind will carry the drift a surprising distance, 'burning' the foliage where it lands. Protect your cedar hedge with a double layer of burlap.

5. Deer damage. When deer get hungry - as they do in February and March - they will eat most anything just to get by. Therefore, there is no clear cut, fool proof answer to the question of how to prevent deer damage in the first place. However, there are some effective deer repellents on the market. Green Earth makes one called Scent-A-Gone. Go to www.greenearth.ca for more info.
You can make your own deer repellent by mixing rotten eggs with beef bouillon. Go to www.markcullen.com for more info.

The 'winterizing jobs' that require your attention later in the season include hilling up your roses and protecting broad-leafed evergreens with Wiltpruf.
I will give you more advice in this regard later.

In the mean time, be sure to rake the leaves off of your lawn but not your garden. The earth worms will pull them down into the soil next spring: meantime they provide needed winter protection to perennials and shrubs.

Be sure to 'build' your compost this time of year by adding the leaves that fall on your lawn.

More tips on composting next week.

For now, keep the duvet in the linen cupboard for one more week at least (unless you live on the prairies where they experienced a record cold spell last week!).

Keep your knees dirty!

Mark

Question of the Week
Q/ How do I keep squirrels from digging bulbs out of my garden?
A/ Lay metal chicken wire on the soil surface after planting bulbs. This will discourage digging in the garden soil.