TODAY! thru Sun Nov 23
Holiday Decor & Lights 10% savings!

Sources of information include: Maple Leaf Ace Hardware crew, WSU King County Extension Master Gardener, Ed Hume Seeds, Hometime, Money Magazine, City of Seattle, Plant Amnesty, “Gardening Month by Month in Washington & Oregon,” The National Gardener’s Association, The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, and Seattle Tilth.

Cut down on gardening maintenance during the cold and wet weather . . . when you will use the coldness and wetness as a reason NOT to work outside. Doing it now saves you discomfort or guilt later.

Lawn & Yard Care
  Apply fall fertilizer to your lawn.
  Thatch and aerate your lawn, if necessary.
  Overseed your lawn, if there are bare spots.
  Test your soil pH. Add lime if it is too acid.
  Rake leaves to keep your grass from smothering. Compost the leaves.
  Turn off any irrigation system for the winter.
  Mulch plants that may need protection in the cold months.

Garden Care
  Build up your soil by planting a cover crop. Turn it over or cut and compost before flowering.
  Plant spring flowering bulbs. Protect bulbs from rodents.
  Remove annuals.
  Divide, transplant, mulch, and/or cut back perennials and woody plants.
  Bring in tender plants for winter storage.
  Select and plant winter flowering plants.
  Leave stalks on ornamental grasses.
  Making hydrangeas pink: Add dolomite lime or Triple Super Phosphate to soil.
  Making hydrangeas blue: First, water well, then add Aluminum Sulfate to soil.
  Discontinue deadheading roses.
  Tie up climbing roses.
  Give poinsettias 16 hours of total darkness and 8 hours of bright light from now to Christmas.
  Plant garlic.
  Protect tomatoes from frost. Pick and bring inside to ripen if necessary.
  Cut down to the ground the berry canes that produced berries this year.
  Eliminate slug eggs as they are laid this fall.

Other Outdoor Maintenance
  Set up bird feeders and keep filled.
  Clean your tools to avoid rust while in winter storage.
  Oil the wood handles of your tools so they do not dry out in winter storage.
  Have your tools sharpened before putting into winter storage.
  Clean your power lawn mower and empty the gas tank for the winter.
  Store away your BBQ grill.

House Exterior Maintenance
  Clean out basement window wells.
  Clean oil and grease from your driveway. Check for cracks or deterioration, reseal and repair if necessary.
  Switch out your window screen to storm windows.
  Examine weatherstripping and caulk around windows and doors. Replace worn or damaged areas that may no longer be blocking out cold air.

House Interior Maintenance
  Remove and clean your kitchen exhaust fan filter. Clean accumulated grease deposits from the fan housing.
  Clean the refrigerator drain pan. Vacuum the condenser coil. Clean and defrost freezer.
  Clean your windows to enjoy the later sun before daylight savings changes and it gets dark earlier.
  Lubricate the hinges of your doors.
  Clean window and door tracks. Check to see if weep holes are open, clean out dirt and dust. Lubricate rollers and latches.