Get a head start with fall planting for spring growth

You've weeded, tilled and tossed all your viable waste in the compost heap. You've raked, dead headed, lifted, mowed, fertilized and trimmed. Did you think you were done with fall maintenance? Not on your life. It's time to start planting for next year.

Remember how overwhelmed you were last spring with all the tilling, hoeing, planting and such? Doing some spring planting in the fall can shorten that spring to-do list.

Won't all the little seedlings freeze their knees off? Absolutely not because you don't plant seedlings in the fall unless you're growing fall crops like lettuce. There are a host of other things you can plant in the fall to save on spring garden maintenance.

Perennial flowers are down to the very lowest prices at most gardening centers. Remember, it's dormancy time for them. They may look really bad now. Plant them anyway. You'll have a beautiful plant next spring at less than half the price you would pay if you waited. Plus you won't have to buy them again for many years, if at all.

Fall is also the time to plant bulbs. Lift out your old bulbs for storage and plan anew. Sit down with paper and pen. Map out the best locations before fall planting. Next spring, you'll have a fresh new look to the flower garden.

Don't forget those onion and garlic bulbs. Planting them in the fall makes for one less spring vegetable gardening task.

Barring snowfall, you can plant hardy bushes and trees in the fall too. The ground is all tilled and ready to go. Why not add an accent bush here and there? Remember to keep trees away from sewer and water lines to avoid root clogged drains and pipes.

Most herbs are cold hardy perennials too. Why not give the herb garden planting a jump start too? Don't forget to bury prolific herbs like spearmint in pots so they don't crowd out other plants. Happy fall planting!