The top 10 ‘must-do’s’ for Western Washington gardens | THE COMPLEAT HOME GARDENER

Tackle these fall chores now and you’ll score more yardage with these October field goals.

Tackle these fall chores now and you’ll score more yardage with these October field goals.

Top Ten Fall Maintenance Must-Do’s for Western Washington Gardens:

1. Fertilize the lawn with a slow release fall and winter lawn food. Autumn is the most important season to fertilize lawns in our region.

2. Apply lime to all lawns at least once a year. In Western Washington high rainfall makes the soil too acid for most lawns. “Super Sweet” fast-acting lime or a slower acting dolomite lime will make the nutrients in your soil more easily available to grass roots.

3. Remove perennial weeds – blackberries, horsetail, thistle and dandelions can be cut back, dug out or sprayed this month to stop them from multiplying. If you use an herbicide like Roundup remember to read the instructions and chose a warm, dry day.

4. Make sure autumn does not trip you up and turn into a fall. Treat the moss on pathways, steps and drives. Winter rains will multiply moss and you’ll deal with slimy, slippery walkways on dark winter days if you don’t pressure wash, scrub or apply a moss control product this month.

5. While working on the moss, look up at the roof. You can hire professionals to remove moss and debris from the shaded areas of your roof or try spraying a moss control product with a pressure sprayer. Removing moss from your roof will extend its life.

6. Harvest tomatoes, squash and other frost sensitive veggies before the first freeze. Green tomatoes do not need sunlight to ripen – you can store them in a cabinet or basement and wait as time and warm temperatures continue to hasten ripening.

7. Cut back the yellow or brown tops of perennials like daylilies, hosta, lilies and phlox. Leaving the foliage to ripen in the autumn rain encourages breeding grounds for slugs and snails. Add the rotting foliage to the compost pile where slugs and snails help break it down into new soil.

8. Cover weedy areas with a layer of damp newspaper and a wood mulch. Blocking out sunlight with a mulch will smother small weeds and you’ll be able to plant in a weed free beds come spring.

9. Use an outdoor broom to make a clean sweep of the cobwebs and spiders setting up home near your doorways and eaves. Autumn is spider season but these helpful critters deserve to be moved into the garden where they control insects and attract birds. A broom can easily transport spiders and their webbing to a tree trunk or the dry shade under shrubs. Removing spiders and their egg sacs from the perimeter of the house now will keep them from finding their way to your bathtub or shower stall this winter.  (Spiders are not trying to freak you out with their midnight bathtub visits – they just on the prowl for a late night drink.)

10. Buy and plant new trees, shrubs and perennials this month. Move any evergreens growing in the wrong spot. October rains combined with soil still warm from the summer sun make this an excellent month for moving or adding plants.

Marianne Binetti has a degree in horticulture from WSU, is the author of a dozen garden book and the host of Dig In Seattle as TV show about gardening and cooking. She can be reached at www.binettigarden.com