Garden and Yard
Latest publications
Late-October Fertilizer Check: When to Feed the Lawn, When to Stop, and What to Do Instead
Late October is not a universal “winterizer” window. The right decision depends on grass type, active growth, soil temperature, recent feeding, and local rules. Here is a practical way to avoid wasted fertilizer and winter-sensitive growth.
Bring Outdoor Houseplants Inside Without Importing Spider Mites
The October move indoors can turn a small pest problem into a whole-house infestation. A careful inspection, wash, quarantine period, and gentler winter routine protect the plants already on your windowsills.
Before Freezing Weather: A Safe Autumn Storage Plan for Garden Tools, Batteries and Hoses
A late-October storage plan for the equipment that fails quietly over winter: drain hoses, protect batteries, clean cutting tools and avoid the shortcuts that turn spring maintenance into repair work.
October Garden Cleanup: Which Plant Debris Belongs in Compost—and Which Does Not
A practical fall decision guide for sorting healthy leaves, spent vegetables, diseased foliage, invasive weeds, and suspicious debris before they enter a home compost pile or leave the property.
Fall Garden Cleanup: Which Perennials to Leave, Cut Back, or Remove After Frost
A plant-by-plant fall cleanup plan for deciding what to leave standing for winter habitat, what to cut back for disease control, and what to remove before next season.
After the First Autumn Rain: How to Tell Whether a Boggy Lawn Needs Rest, Aeration, or Drainage
A wet lawn is not automatically a drainage project. Use a simple underfoot test, identify where the water is coming from, and choose the least disruptive repair before winter turns a soft surface into lasting compaction.
The First-Frost Triage: What to Move, Cover, Clean, or Leave in the Garden This October
The first frost is not a single deadline for every plant. Use a short October triage to decide what belongs indoors, what can stay under a breathable cover, what needs greenhouse sanitation, and what is better left in the ground.
Before You Winterize the Garden: A Water-System Check That Prevents Spring Repairs
A late-season irrigation shutdown is more than opening drain valves. Inspect the backflow device, filters, buried lines, hose bibs and pump before the first freeze, then document what you found for spring.
October Tree-Decay Check: How to Decide What Needs an Arborist Before Winter
A cavity, mushroom, dead limb, or buried trunk flare does not automatically mean a tree must come down. This practical October check helps you separate routine monitoring from urgent risk, protect targets, and hire the right help.
A Low-Maintenance Landscape Starts With the Site, Not the Plant Label
“Low maintenance” is not a promise that a plant can be ignored. It is a design result: match the plant to the light, soil, moisture, mature size and wildlife pressure already present in your yard.
A Late-September Reset for a Raised Bed That Produced Almost Nothing
A poor raised-bed harvest does not automatically mean you need more compost. Use this late-season checklist to separate compaction, drainage, excess organic matter, timing, and crop-choice problems before spending money on a rebuild.
Fall Garlic Needs a Reserved Bed Before It Needs a Planting Day
Gardeners are buying seed garlic now, but the useful move is not always planting immediately. Match the bed, mulch and spacing to your first hard freeze so next summer’s bulbs are worth the space.
