Fall 2021

Warm days, cool nights, frost in the air, a dusting of snow on the mountains, leaves changing colour, harvesting from the garden these are all signs that it’s time to start your fall yard work, seeding, planting, and weed control. Weed control is not just pulling, tarping, cutting, and spraying. Monitoring your treatment to see if it was effective is very important. Treating any last stragglers before the snow falls will give you a head start in the spring. In the fall you can do dormant planting of native trees and shrubs. Grass seeding and planting other beneficial forbs can also be done in the fall. Some native plant seeds need the cold to germinate so planting them in the fall is a great idea. Read the label to see when the best time to plant is. Grass can be seeded and raked in or if you wait till right before the snow, you can skip the raking. The snow will push the seed down as it melts. You will get better germination and less rodent damage if you take the time to rake it. High quality seed is important. You don’t want to spend all that time treating invasive plants to have contaminated seed bring new invasives onto your property. The higher the seed grade the cleaner it is. You can request a seed analysis certificate to find out more about the seed you buy. Planning is important. You want to consider what you want to use your land for in the future. Will you make the garden bigger? Do you want to plant more native plants to conserve water and create habitat for pollinators and birds? When you are doing yard work be careful of how you dispose of your waste. It’s illegal to dump anything in wilderness areas. Composting can be a good disposal, but you shouldn’t compost invasive plants as most compost doesn’t get hot enough to kill the seeds and roots. It is free to take invasive plants to the landfill in our Regional District. Make sure the bags have no holes to ensure nothing escapes on your way to the landfill. For more information you can check out www.boundaryinvasives.com or contact the Boundary Invasive Species Society info@boundaryinvasives.com, 250-446-2232 and Facebook.