KATHY’S HOME & GARDEN TIPS – FALL TIPS FOR HOUSE AND GARDEN

KATHY’S HOME & GARDEN TIPS – FALL TIPS FOR HOUSE AND GARDEN

Now that it’s finally cooled off it is time to tackle more pre-winter jobs around the house and garden. If you don’t have siding on your house and you have peeling paint it’s time to treat these areas before the cold and snow comes. Scrape the area well. Prime with a good primer made for outdoor use. Paint with a thick hand making sure it’s not going to rain for at least a day. Even with a brick house check the window sills soffits and other areas that have uncovered wood. While checking for wood that needs painting you can also look for spots that need caulking. This is especially important around windows. Caulking will keep out water as well as cold drafts.

The garden needs attention too. Start pulling up plants that are no longer producing. Remove all the plants and dispose of according to garden waste requirements in your town or village. A lot of garden plants pick up a disease or two during the season so it’s best to remove these. Most of the soil in the Chicago land area is alkaline (heavy clay) so now it’s good to augment the soil. Peat Moss is a good additive. It will slowly make the soil more tillable over the winter. To add nutrients you might plant a ground cover over the entire garden. Winter rye rye grass and buckwheat are good choices. Dig them into the soil before they flower.

Keep an eye on the gutters. Clean them as necessary. Clogged gutters will deteriorate the roof rain water bounces back and goes under the shingles. Full gutters can also add to ice damning in the winter.

Try starting the snow blower now. If it needs servicing now is the time to do it rather than waiting for the first big snow.

KATHLEEN WEAVER-ZECH & DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO