By Janet Sellers
- What happens to trees in the fall
- Deter deer with a fence hedge or “fedge”
- Crops to plant now outdoors or in pots
What happens to trees in the fall
When the leaves change colors and fall in autumn, something amazing happens. Trees create sugars in their leaves, and in fall the sugars go down to the roots, and the tree saves that sugar energy to surge forth new growth in spring. Phloem cells of the tree transport the sugar for immediate growth, or the sugar is converted into starch stored in the trunk or roots. Bare root plants have that abundant stored energy and make a great comeback in spring—better than potted plants that get rootbound.
Deter deer with a fence hedge or “fedge”
Deer have a bad habit of getting into things and making bonsai out of our fruit and other trees, so a barrier is needed. A good deer fence is better with a hedge, known as a “fedge” to keep out sheep originally by tightly weaving the live hedge plants, a kind of super espalier method. It is a beautiful and effective barrier. It may be that a dwarf variety could be easier to protect in the early stages, and they fit into more garden spots. In any case, protection strategies against deer are vital.
Deer can crawl under a fence, so a tight base is a must. Planting a hedge with the fruit trees may be a protection strategy as the fruit tree grows big enough to bear fruit, often four to five years after planting. Deer don’t see very well in terms of depth and avoid problems navigating the depth of a hedge with the height of a fence and likely will just go elsewhere. Many people in our area put up a barrier fence around each tree or around a few trees to deter deer.
We were deer proof for many years at the Monument Community Garden by planting giant sunflowers all around the garden fence because the deer couldn’t see into the garden or find a clear place to jump. That strategy’s demise came when we lost our sunflower plants to late snow and ice three times last year. The poor sunflowers didn’t have a chance.
Crops to plant now outdoors or in pots
Mustard spinach (ready in just four weeks), carrots, beets, lettuce, and most cool-weather greens can start now and later with covered care (frost cloth, burlap, etc.) for possible random cold times. We can get crops even in October and November.
Janet Sellers is an avid “lazy gardener,” letting Mother Nature lead the way for natural landscapes that respect our Colorado high desert forest clime. Send handy tips to: JanetSellers@ocn.me..
Other High Altitude Nature and Gardening articles
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- High Altitude Nature and Gardens – Mini outdoor greenhouses, cinnamon to protect soil and seedlings (12/31/2025)
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- High Altitude Nature and Gardens – Cornmeal in the garden; sweet potato leaf greens (10/1/2025)
- High Altitude Nature and Gardens (HANG) – Fall and the forest: creating soil beds and a blue spruce kitchen treat (9/3/2025)
- High Altitude Nature and Gardens – Wild Horse Fire Brigade: successful fire mitigation since the beginning of…plants (7/31/2025)
- High Altitude Nature and Gardening (HANG) – Gardening with nature’s beautiful bouncers (7/3/2025)
- High Altitude Nature and Gardening (HANG) – Enjoying nature in summer, high altitude landscaping, and weed control (6/7/2025)
- High Altitude Nature and Gardening (HANG) – May: new trees from tree branches, plant partners, bee kind (5/3/2025)
- High Altitude Nature and Gardening (HANG) – Earth Day and the joys of gardening (4/5/2025)