As the first week of autumn nears its end, cooler temperatures have begun to grace the Front Range, and the spectacular colors of the season won't be far behind! After a long, hot summer, these cooler days are a welcome relief for both gardens and gardeners!

But before you put away the garden clogs and settle in with a hot mug of spiced cider, there are just a few more garden chores to be done. They're especially important because what you do now can make a huge difference in the success (or failure) of next year's garden. And it's especially important to do them now because the next cold front could be the one to bring our 1st frost!

Begin by preparing for the first visit from Jack Frost. Now is the time to find the floating row covers, and keep them handy to protect your crops from the first sporadic frosts of the season. That way, your garden will be able to continue to thrive during the warm days that will invariably follow.

Frost-hardy crops like kale and collards can be left in the garden well after the first frosts until the foliage finally succumbs to the freezing weather. Onions should be harvested only after their tops fall over. Celery and late cabbage may be harvested after the frost has stopped their growth. Root crops like carrots, beets, and turnips can remain in the ground until there is a danger of the soil itself freezing.

Don't be tempted to harvest winter squash, or pumpkins too soon! They're fine in the garden until the vines are frost-killed and the skin is hard to the thumbnail. However a hard freeze will damage the fruits. For more information on how to store these vegetables (and more!), Colorado State University provides this handy fact sheet on the best ways to harvest and store vegetables.

Clean up the beds. Start winterizing your garden with a good cleanup. Remove all weeds, so they don't seed, or dig deeper roots over the winter. Pull out all dead plant material. Cleaning out dead-and-dying plants isn't just to make the garden look nicer. It helps prevent a build-up of disease-causing bacteria and destructive insects.

Amend the soil. Autumn is a good time to amend your soil by mixing in organic matter, such as a fresh layer of compost. Rototilling, or turning over the soil, will reduce insect and disease problems next year as well. Do this when the

soil is dry.

Add fresh mulch to perennial beds, trees, and shrub areas. Renewing all mulches in the fall has several benefits: it helps maintain a constant soil temperature, retains moisture, and prevents exposure of roots and the subsequent winter damage that follows.

Then you can free to settle back and enjoy the season knowing that your garden is well-prepared for a long winter's nap!

Time to start collecting your GREENBUCKS again! Beginning today, for every $20 you spend on merchandise, we'll give you $2 in Echter's Greenbucks! Then from December 14-31, you can spend them just like real dollars at Echter's for up to half of your total purchase.



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