Plant Spring Bulbs Now: A Fall Garden To-Do List
Mid-October is the quiet turning point in the garden. The beds are past their best, the leaves are coming down faster than you can keep up with, and it is tempting to shut the door on it all until spring. But this is the one window where an hour of work pays you back in April: bulbs go in now, and the cleanup you do this month is cleanup you are not doing in November rain.
Get spring bulbs in the ground
Tulips, daffodils, crocus and alliums all want to go in while the soil is still workable but the air has cooled off. The job is mostly repetitive digging, which is exactly where a pair of Garden Gloves with Claws saves time. They have four ABS claws on the fingertips, so you can scratch out a planting hole, pull a weed and backfill without putting a trowel down and picking it up again twenty times.
The palm has a water-resistant natural latex coating and the back is breathable nylon knit, so hands stay dry in damp soil and the gloves rinse clean under the hose. One size fits most women, men and older kids.
- Plant in clusters of five to seven rather than single rows β it reads better in spring.
- Mark each spot with a stick or a label. You will not remember in March.
- Water once after planting, then leave them alone.
Work with the daylight you actually have
The real obstacle this month is not cold, it is the clock. By the time most people get outside after work, there is maybe half an hour of usable light. A headlamp works, but it lights wherever you are looking instead of where your hands are. Hand Gloves With LED Flashlight put the light on your fingers, with an on/off button on the surface of the glove so you can switch it on without taking anything off. The fabric is soft and breathable, and the Velcro wrist strap adjusts to fit most hands.
Corral the gear before it disappears
Half of spring gardening is spent looking for the things you owned last fall. Give the small stuff one home now. A Foldable Domestic Waterproof Storage Basket works well for this: gloves, labels, twine, kneeling pad and seed packets all go in one 75L basket that measures 15.7" x 11.8" x 24.4". A rigid wire rack in the rim keeps it standing even when it is empty, and the long handles on both sides make it easy to carry out to the beds and back.
The inside has a smooth waterproof coating, so muddy tools do not soak through β wipe it out with a damp cloth. When the season ends, it folds flat for a closet or a narrow spot in the garage.
The ten-minute version
- Cut back anything collapsed and mushy; leave seed heads that birds are using.
- Empty and flip your pots so they do not crack when water freezes in them.
- Rinse and dry hand tools before they go away for the winter.
- Rake leaves off the lawn, but pile some onto beds as free mulch.
- Drain and coil the hose while the weather is still mild.
None of this takes a full weekend. Pick the two jobs that bother you most, do them Saturday morning, and you have bought yourself an easier spring. Browse the full VIGOR collection for garden, outdoor and home essentials to get it done.