Don’t “leaf” us yet fall colours!

Image Courtesy: Cheryl Gudz

“Listen! The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves. We have had our summer evenings, now for October eves!” (Humbert Wolfe)

Fall is filled with fun celebrations and activities: apple trees are ready to be picked, pumpkins are ripe for carving and trick-or-treating is right around the corner! Celebrate the best of the season with these environmentally-friendly fall activities.

Don’t “leaf” us yet
Every Fall, our local landscapes shimmer with vibrant yellow, orange and red leaves. You still catch the fall colours in many parts of Eastern Canada. Take your family out on a hike, bike ride, or drive to admire nature's bounty.

Rejuvenate the garden
Autumn is a great time to rejuvenate a garden for next spring. Collect the seed heads from plants in your gardens and save the seeds for planting or swapping in spring.

If you live in warmer parts of the country, you still have time to plant trees, fruit bushes and other hardy shrubs. However, to ensure that your Fall plantings have the opportunity to establish themselves, they'll need about six weeks in the ground before the first hard frost.

Planting in the Fall allows the new trees, bushes and shrubs time to settle in and the roots to grow during the winter when the ground is not frozen. Plants that establish roots during the next couple months will be ready to burst into life in the Spring.

Quick tip: Fall is also a good time to pull weeds. The cooler weather can make them a bit easier to remove.

Backyard composting
Gather fallen leaves, grass clippings, kitchen scraps and shredded prunings, and layer them in a compost bin. Turn periodically to allow air circulation and decompose the organic matter quickly. Don‘t overload your compost with one particular ingredient – maintain a mix.

You can compost all Winter even in cold climates. It will yield great soil for gardening in the Spring.

Visit a farmer’s market
Autumn is the season of harvest. Enjoy the abundance of locally produced fruits and veggies that nature yields at this time. Take a trip to a farmer’s market and indulge in some fresh apples, squash and pumpkins. Or take the family to a local pick-your-own farm for a fun-filled day of apple-picking!

Hallow’s Eve  
With Halloween around the corner, dressing up is on everyone’s minds. But don’t wait until the last minute and buy a cheaply made costume. Halloween costumes can easily be made, with a little imagination, out of old clothes at home and cardboard boxes. Check out this super idea from a crafty thinker who turned her baby into a cabbage patch doll! (It’s not as creepy as it sounds.)

Caution: Start planning now because the season won’t last forever!

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