Winterizing

[Shawn]

For all that do outdoor gardening, do you winterize?  


I had an area in that back that I TRIED to grow flowers but that was a fail.   I just put away my EB that I never used this season.

I took down 1 box of peppers, but the roots are still in there. 
Another is a flower EB and I totally cut down the perennial Astors , pulled out the Whopper Marigolds and put in some fall marigolds and a decorative Kale.
I still have a few more boxes going, and don;t pull out the roots and dump the water out of the bottom until November.
One ob I HATE doing when cleaning up the EB's is scooping out the old strips of fertilizer , searching for stray roots, and kneading the soil to prep for next Spring. One veteran EB-er said to do it in fall because I would regret it in the Spring when all I want to do is plant. I didn't. He was right.

[Shawn]

I never thought to plant fall flowers in there    Mark just dumped the whole thing under the one tree where dirt is.

[MaryL]

I planted late ripening tomatoes in mine (still very hot now in Los Angeles through October).  But I waited too long and they're very leggy.  We shall see.  They might all be an expensive waste of replant kits.  

Regarding the fertilizer strip I followed someone's EB forum advice and put my fert granules in panty hose legs (and tied them off), and they're so much easier to remove.   I will never not use them again.  

[MaryL]

Oct 3, 2017 18:36:57 GMT -5 Shawn said:

I never thought to plant fall flowers in there    Mark just dumped the whole thing under the one tree where dirt is.

Your mix is good for 5 years, supposedly.   Just need the replant process like Corinne described.  

[Shawn]

Well Mark already dumped it    So in the spring I will place new dirt in there and just need the the other stuff for the middle.

[MaryL]