Don’t let the work fall off just yet; prepare for spring

Work you do in the garden this fall pays off in the spring. Here are 10 easy ways to get ready for blooms to come — and save water in the process.

1

Once rains start, turn irrigation off. Since plants don’t need as much water when the air is cool and the sun is lower in the sky, in that occasional long dry period of winter, run the irrigation half as often (not half as long) as it ran over the summer.

2

Protect bare and newly planted hillsides from erosion in a heavy rainfall. Lay straw wattles horizontally across the hillside. Wattles are mesh tubes filled with straw. Stake them in place to slow water as it flows downhill. By spring, the straw will decompose to the point that you can empty the straw onto the soil. Compost “socks” are similar to wattles but are filled with compost.

3

Jute mesh fabric is another option for protecting bare hillsides from erosion. Jute mesh is like huge, open-weave burlap. Since it is biodegradable, there’s no need to remove it at the end of the season. And, if you are landscaping the hillside, you can plant through the mesh. Next spring, mulch over the jute and you are done.

4

By month’s end, strip remaining leaves off pears, plums and other deciduous fruit trees. Once they are bare, you can do your first dormant oil spray, to be followed by one or two more sprays through the winter.

5

Most established trees slow their growth this time of year; that makes this a good time to give them a haircut. Hire a certified arborist who is on site with the crew while all the work is being done. Never allow anyone to top a tree. If a tree is too tall, replace it with one that is naturally shorter.

6

Prune shrubs that flower in summer and spring now, before they develop new flower buds. If you prune them after the buds form, there won’t be any blooms next year.

7

Prune fig trees. Some people cut fig trees down to the ground every few years so the trees stay small and all the fruit is within reach.

8

Plan now for when fruit trees, grapes, berries and other bareroot fruits start to appear in the nursery at the end of the year. Some local nurseries offer preseason ordering, as do some online suppliers.

9

Bare-root fruit trees have two parts — fruiting wood, which is grafted onto the second part, a rootstock. The fruiting wood forms the trunk and the branches that make fruit, so choose the fruiting wood that grows your favorite peaches, plums, apples, etc. The rootstock goes into the ground, so choose the rootstock based on your garden’s soil, drainage, common pests and so on.

10

Prepare for frost. Move delicate container plants into the warmest area of your garden. Cover permanent plants with floating row cover, held in place with small clamps or clothespins. Floating row cover is sold by farm and irrigation supply stores and is also available online.