PREPARE YOUR GARDEN AUTUMN STEPS FOR A BETTER SPRING GARDEN
CHICKEN WIRE After you’ve planted your bulbs, there’s a risk that uninvited guests will dig them up. There are a few ways you can ensure that your bulbs remain undisturbed throughout the fall. One way is to place chicken wire over your bulbs after they’ve been planted. This keeps rodents from digging them up and allows the plants to grow through the gaps in the wire. KEEP YOUR GARDEN TIDY Once you’ve harvested your best fruits and vegetables, go back through and harvest the rest, even if you don’t plan to eat them. Make sure your garden is clear of old vegetables, fallen leaves, and weeds. Leaving decaying plants in or on top of the ground can spread diseases into the soil and attract unwanted pests to your garden. HEALTHY SOIL Pulling up weeds and all of your vegetables can help keep the earth free from rotting plants, but there are other steps you can take to ensure that your soil stays full of nutrients. Pick up a kit to test the pH levels of your soil. Most gardens thrive in soil with a pH of 6.5. Add compost to your soil supply now to give it time to break down during the winter months.
With fall just ahead, it’s a good time to think about your spring garden. For a beautiful garden next year, begin preparing this fall. Here are a few ways
to get a head start!
PLANTING BULBS If you want beautiful flowers in April, you should start planting
bulbs now. Many flower bulbs need to be in the ground before winter settles in; this helps activate the bulbs’ biochemical process that allows them to bloom. Getting the bulbs into the ground before it freezes allows their roots to grow deep enough to protect them from the biting winter weather. Among the flower bulbs you should plant soon are tulips, daffodils, irises, and hyacinths.
NORMA JEAN
Norma Jean M., from Springfield, worked her entire adult life for an international business that manufactured fire protection and safety equipment, including automatic sprinklers. Small but feisty at 4-foot-11, she was conducting a product inventory one day. While lifting boxes above her head, she experienced severe pain in her lower back. Her claim was allowed for “acute left medial L5 disc protrusion with posterior and inferior slippage of L5 over S1, causing occlusion at the neurological openings at the L5-S1 junction; sprain and strain with myofasciitis of the lumbar spine and depressive reaction.” Previously an outgoing, cheerful woman, Norma Jean’s injuries sent her into an emotional tailspin. She became despondent and thought often about death. Her physical limitations greatly restricted the social interaction she and her husband long enjoyed through work, church, and their friends. She was unable to play with her grandchildren and felt worthless and hopeless.
inability to continue doing so greatly impacted the household income. While obtaining permanent total disability benefits helped
ease that burden, there are some situations in which the pain and depression continues. Norma Jean has continued to work hard at accepting her physical limitations, which has helped reduce her depression. Her
husband of more than 50 years is her biggest encourager, and he’s been by her side all along. Both of them are a great inspiration to many others.
She took pride in her work (which involved lifting more than 75 pounds frequently), but her
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