What to plant, fertilize, prune and more

With December around the corner and colder weather on the way, here’s your gardening to-do list.

system

Annual and hardy perennials for the cool season – use seeds or transplants for delphinium, delphinium, poppy seeds, arugula, cabbage, kale, chard, greens, spinach, lettuce, carrots, and garlic (onions, tubers, or rounds). Trees, bushes, vines, ground cover and permanent crops. Herbal transplants including lavender, oregano, rosemary, rue, sage, parsley, coriander, dill, and fennel. Living Christmas trees that are adapted to the environment. Spring onions, including tulips and hyacinths. New plants may need frost protection with floating row cover.

Fertilize

Annual cool seasons in beds and pots with organic fertilizer and Garrett juice. Greenhouse plants with organic fertilizers, earthworm cast and lava sand. Houseplants with earthworm casts, lava sand and other odorless organic fertilizers. Add apple cider vinegar at an ounce per gallon with each pour. Winter grasses with mild organic fertilizer at half the usual price.

plum

Evergreens to customize the look. Shade trees to remove dead, damaged, and misplaced branches. Covers used perennials if you haven’t already. Don’t prune trees just to “thin out” trees, just to avoid crowding, to let more light for the plants in the undergrowth, or to eliminate vertical growth. Wait until the end of winter to prune fruit trees and grapes to avoid premature flowering and frost damage. Remove ground cover and vines from the plant bases, especially all trees. Don’t make flush cuts or apply any cut paint to plants at this point. Do not trim the tips of crepe myrtle trees. The seed pods are decorative and some small birds like the seed.

water

All dry areas to protect against dehydration and winter cold damage. Potted plants as needed. Add apple cider vinegar or Garrett Juice at a tablespoon to an ounce per gallon, if time permits.

Prune fruit trees as late as possible in winter to prevent early flowering.(Howard Garrett / special article)

Pests

If necessary, spray houseplants with mild soap or essential oil products to control lime, mealybugs, spider mites, and other insects. Orange oil-based mound drainage solutions can also be used for fire ants.

Horticultural oil can be used in cases of severe insect infestation, but only in extreme cases to avoid killing beneficial insects and microbes. Spray garlic tea or hydrogen peroxide products on plants with fungal diseases. For extra control, apply dry garlic granules to the bottom. Henbit, clover, and other wildflowers are beautiful, so for the most part, don’t worry about spraying them. If you have to, use vinegar products between Christmas and New Years. To combat mistletoe or severe bile infestation, apply dry molasses or the entire Sick Tree Treatment.

Odd jobs

Continue to mulch leaves into the lawn. Cover delicate plants with floating row cover before freezing. Potted plants can be covered with large plastic trash cans. Pick tomatoes the night before you freeze for the first time. Mulch all of the bare soil with partially finished compost or crushed native tree cuttings. Turn compost heaps over if time permits. Add molasses to speed the breakdown. Apply lava sand or decomposed granite to icy cobblestones. Do not use chemical deicers, salt, or synthetic fertilizers.

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