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CLEARFIELD, UTAH — For many people, after the fresh summer vegetables have come and gone, gardening chores are finally done. But actually, it should be quite the opposite. With the weather finally starting to cool, Fall is the perfect time of year to prepare your garden for Spring. A little work now will keep your raised garden beds springing up green all year long.

Cleaning

• Clean out all dead plant debris like leaves, vines, stalks, and roots.
• Fill holes from harvested plants with compost and mix it in. Typically, one trowel full of compost for each square foot is a good guideline.

Planting

• After adding compost, replant the space. One advantage of raised garden beds is that soil stays warmer in the Fall and warms earlier in the Spring than a traditional garden which extends the growing season and can help plants mature faster. Depending on your climate zone, a raised garden bed like a stackable 4'x4' Lifetime Raised Garden Bed can actually yield crops year-round when used correctly.
• Vegetables - Root crops like parsnips, turnips, carrots, and red beets can be planted now. Cover with straw when frost threatens or snow falls to extend harvest all Winter. (Simply brush off straw and snow, pull what you need, then cover again.) Cool weather crops like spinach, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, and peas can also be planted in the Fall.
• Flowers - Flowers improve the overall beauty of a garden and improve pollination. Plant flower bulbs including tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, daylilies, and crocus for vibrant color next spring. Bury large bulbs 4 to 8 inches deep and small bulbs 2 to 4 inches deep.

 Covering

• To further extend the growing season, consider covering raised beds with clear plastic to capture heat like a greenhouse to protect crops from frost. If using a 4'x4' Lifetime Raised Garden Bed, simply attach a Lifetime Early Start Enclosure which assembles quickly and allows for easy zipper access to care for plants. For best results, leave covers off until absolutely needed.

Manufactured by Lifetime Products, Inc., the Lifetime 4'x4' Raised Garden Kits provide a full garden setup in less than one hour of easy do-it-yourself assembly with no tools required. Constructed of UV-protected, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), they are low-maintenance; weather-resistant; will not rot, crack, or peel; and are available online at www.lifetime.com.