Fall is starting to give way to winter, but there are plenty of great gardening days left in the season. Here are a few tasks that can be done now to ensure your garden is looking good throughout the winter and on into the spring.
First, use those leaves you raked up. Rather than bag the leaves, consider mowing over the piles and using the chopped leaves as mulch in your shrub beds. A shredded leaf make great mulch for your plants, and saves you bagging work.
Alternatively, if you live in the village of Owego, the village will pick up your leaves. See the village website for pickup days and times. A layer of 2 to 3 inches of leaf mulch will do wonders for your garden.
Brighten your spring with bulbs. An hour or two now planting bulbs will mean a spring full of blossoms. Plant your bulbs in groups of threes or fives, spacing the bulbs several inches apart. As a rule, plant the bulbs about two or three times the depth of the bulb length.
So a daffodil is planted about 6” deep, while a crocus bulb is planted about 3” deep. You will be so happy in the spring when you see the beautiful blooms peeking out through the snow.
For more gardening information, contact Barb Neal at Cornell Cooperative Extension, Tioga County at 687-4020.
