Preparing the Garden for Winter 
AUTUMN ACTIVITIES THAT BENEFIT THE FLOWER, FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GARDENS— 
PROPAGATING BY CUTTINGS AND ROOT DIVISIONS—STORING THE BULBS FOR WINTER 
BY D. R. Edson 
Photographs by Chas. Jones and Others 
I F autumn gardening has become a sort of a hobby of mine 
there is some reason in it. While some of my friends who 
started out with hopes that were too high have become so dis¬ 
appointed and discouraged that they practically let things take 
care of themselves, I take pains to make everything that has been 
grown count. In fact 
my gardening during 
the year has been done 
very largely with an 
eye to this very time, 
and in some garden 
matters, too, I know 
that, instead of being 
six months behind 
with my gardening, I 
am six months ahead; 
in other words, I am 
getting ready for spring 
instead of for winter. 
But, of course, all this 
work has to be done be¬ 
fore the ground freezes 
up and before cold 
weather sets in. 
There are so many 
things which should 
be attended to in the 
fall that simply to go 
ahead and jot them 
down one by one 
would merely result in a mass of details that would be quite 
confusing. For my own use, in order to be sure that a minimum 
number of these multitudinous small tasks are overlooked, I 
make a list that has six main headings, as follows: Cleaning up; 
Planting; Propagating; Harvesting; Pruning; Mulching. Under 
each of these several 
titles, as the days begin 
to grow short and the 
nights cold and one real¬ 
izes that the time is get¬ 
ting very short before 
the outdoor work has to 
cease, I jot down the 
various things which ap¬ 
pear to need attention, 
and before each of these 
little reminders I put 
down a figure I, or 2, or 
3, to indicate which 
should be attended to 
first. It would not take 
you fifteen minutes to get 
a sheet of heavy paper 
and mark down upon it 
such a program as this; 
In preparing geranium cuttings cut the stem off and between now and 
cleanly the first fall of snow you 
A good way to keep dead leaves until ready for 
be improved by a 
would find it of immeasurable assistance as a practical guide. 
The first heading on my list, though unfortunately it hap¬ 
pens to be the least interesting, is of prime importance, as you 
cannot well go ahead with your planting and harvesting until 
you have attended to it, and pruning and mulching can wait 
until the last call. 
Of course your 
place will look better 
for a good cleaning 
up in the fall, but that 
is not the most im¬ 
portant point. There 
are thousands of 
weeds, and some an¬ 
nuals which are almost 
as bad as weeds, if 
you let them go, which 
are hastening to the 
completion of their 
life task — m a t u r i n g 
and planting a supply 
of seeds which will in¬ 
sure their abundant 
recurrence in next 
summer’s garden. And 
besides this, every lit¬ 
tle heap of old stalks 
and weeds and bunch 
of rubbish furnishes a 
harboring place and a 
safe winter retreat for the eggs or cocoons of various pests and 
germs of plant diseases. Garden-pests lurking in this humble 
and seemingly insecure protection will be full of life and 
vitality to defeat your next year’s efforts to have a perfect 
garden. Weeds that are full of matured seeds, or stalks and 
leaves that have shown 
some disease through 
the summer, should be 
gathered up clean and 
burned as soon as pos¬ 
sible. Any green weeds 
or the remains of plants 
or foliage which have 
been healthy through the 
summer should be put 
into the compost-heap, 
as burning wastes a very 
large percentage of the 
plant food which they 
contain. When in doubt, 
however, burn, and burn 
quickly and cleanly. 
Besides weeds and the 
remains of various passe 
crops, you should cut off 
to within half a foot or 
a foot of the ground 
mulching is shown by this stake enclosure. It might 
roof to shed the rain 
Pelargoniums are well adapted to "slipping 
in pots for house use 
