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Happy Thanksgiving to all! May your tables be full to overflowing with friends and family and your harvest bountiful. As we fall into the Autumn solstice some of us gardeners wonder, "What do we plant now? What is our best use of time, and how do we remain active in our gardens with inclement weather approaching?" All good questions. Depending on what you desire to harvest next spring will determine how you spend these next few months. Fall is a great time for garden assessment. Begin with cleaning out things that don't work or look unhealthy. Perhaps the simple change in watering schedules and/or sun vs. shade exposure can revive what appears unhealthy. Clearing away dead underbrush and weeds works wonders in allowing oxygen to circulate throughout your landscape. Some species go into states of dormancy this time of year. Spend time researching what you have, and how best to preserve it through climate stages. Instead of that familiar novel you curl up with every winter, curl up with your favorite plant book and don't be afraid to dive deep. Your effort will be rewarded with thriving new plant life come spring. Don't forget to adjust your sprinkler timers in preparation for earth's dormancy needs. If this is a confusing topic for you, research, research, research. Or get out and visit with your neighbors, soliciting their expertise. Another fun, new project might be to plant a fall/winter vegetable garden. Sowing root crops like carrots, beets, turnips, kale, winter radishes, collard greens and kohl rabi need 70-90 days prior to that first fall frost. Did you know that carrots get their character sweetness from cold weather? Fast growing greens like cold hardy lettuce, spinach, arugula, and mustard greens only need 40-50 days pre-frost. Garlic, with its spicy aroma and rugged resilience is one of the easiest crops to grow, and you will be delighted to know keeps away nasty rodents! November marks our Club's annual potluck as we wind down for the year, getting ready for the holidays. This year Kay, Albert and Sharon will be hosting at their home @ 632 Parnevik Dr. on Mon., Nov. 11 at 1 pm. Late Bloomers meets the second Monday of every month in the Arts & Crafts Room at 1 pm. All Four Seasons residents are welcome! For info, please contact Sharon Deuber at (760) 500-0077 or Sharon@BlackDiamondInvestments.net. | Four Seasons Hemet Herald | NOVEMBER 2024 | 15 Late Bloomers Garden Club