Around the House - Things to do this fall

Our resident "garden" guru Jessi fills us in on a few things you can do around the house & yard around this time of year. 
Read on - you'll happily think twice about bagging up those leaves before guests arrive this Thursday.

A few simple things to do in your garden this fall:

1) Drain and disconnect your garden hoses and store them on your shed or garage.  
If temperatures drop below 25 degrees where you live, it is a good idea to insulate your hose bib. 
I was unable to locate an exact picture of a hose bib insulation cup- but Thea saw a crate full of them at the entry way of a Home Depot for about a dollar.  They are really easy to "install".

2) Do your trees need work? 
If you have large trees in your landscape, it is a good idea to have them evaluated by a qualified professional before the storm season.  My recommendation is to contact a Certified ISA Arborist. http://bit.ly/slEOLz 
Be careful about getting advice from uncertified individuals or companies who are just out looking for work.  For smaller trees, pruning can wait until later in the winter.

3) Leave your leaves! 
For some reason it has been ingrained in us for decades now to clean up all the leaves in the fall then bag them up and ship them off, or even worse: burn them.  But no, please stop! Leaves are a great thing to keep in your garden - compost them, or shred them and use them as mulch in your garden beds. Just be sure to not bury your plants with them and don't allow them to accumulate near storm drains in the street.  The one exception about reusing leaves: any diseased plant leaves should be removed from your garden.


Just a couple things to think about before the really bad weather moves in. Small preventative maintenance things can save you headaches and cash in the long run.


Enjoy the season!