Now that we have made it to September it seems like there is a little fall in the air. The days are getting shorter, but it is still summer. The official start of Fall won't happen until September twenty-second, that is when the Autumnal or Fall Equinox will occur.

The word equinox comes from Latin aequus, meaning equal, and nox, night. On the equinox, day and night are roughly equal in length. During the equinox, the Sun crosses what we call the celestial equator, an imaginary extension of Earth's equator line into space. The equinox occurs precisely when the Sun's center passes through this line.

When the Sun crosses the equator from north to south, this marks the autumnal equinox and when it crosses from south to north, this marks the vernal equinox in spring. Of course as we get colder here in the northern hemisphere, the southern hemisphere is starting to get longer days and warmer temperatures.

For us, the crisp mornings we have had lately are a reminder to start preparing for the winter ahead. Take a look at nature, sure everyone looks at Wooly-bear caterpillars, but what about the birds and squirrels. Many of the hummingbirds so numerous all summer long, have already flown south. I haven't heard geese flying south yet, but I'm sure it won't be long.

The squirrels and chipmunks are robbing bird feeders blind preparing for the winter. Of course if the winter is long and cold, the chipmunks will just hibernate in their dens, leaving all the bird food theft to the squirrels. Ever find a patch of sunflowers growing on the edge of your yard or right in the middle of your prized rose bed in the spring? Well blame it on these bandits who steal from your feeder, bury their bounty into the ground and then…well they just forget where they put it. But the point is they are storing up more than ever.

And even with some crazy spring weather the apple crop looks wonderful this year and have you seen the oak trees lately, their branches are laiden with acorns. Take heed of the signs and prepare now for winter, especially for all those new full time Sullivan County residents that have not been through a mountain winter yet.

Do you have rock salt and sand on hand for your sidewalk and driveway? What about a snow shovel, roof rake or even a window scraper for your car? Usually we don't think about these things until the snow starts flying. Beside preparing yourself for the winter ahead, what about your plants, they too need to be readied for winter. Perennial beds that get neglected during the summer when we are busy need to be weeded before the frost flies.

Also don't forget to put a little phosphorus around as your own secret weapon for bigger, brighter blooms next year. Did you have a wisteria this year that didn't bloom? Roses that just don't perform like past years? Try phosphorus or even some bone meal if you want to stay organic. Bone Meal, it's not just for planting flower bulbs anymore. Give everything a little lime before the snow flies, this will help to sweeten your flowerbeds so that they can utilize the fertilizers more efficiently.

This goes for your garden as well. Most plants want lime, even some evergreens like the occasional spot of lime now and then. Add garden gypsum to your lawn or flowerbeds that line your driveway or roadside. Gypsum binds with road salt so that the salt won't cause as much damage the following spring and, if this winter is bad, expect there will be a lot of road salt.

As a general fertilizer for your fruiting or flowering items 5-10-5 will do the trick and for plants that don't fruit or flower 10-10-10. Fall is a great time to fertilize to strengthen your plants for next spring. Most fertilizers take some time to breakdown and get into the soil where your roots are, so by putting it down in the fall, it will be right where the plant roots need it in the spring when they wake up from their winter slumber.

Liquid fertilizers, like Foxfarm Grow Big or Tiger Bloom are best left for spring as they go directly to the roots to achieve the desired results. But no matter how much Tiger Bloom you use in September, your spring forsythia will not bloom again.

Next month, think about wrapping any newly planted trees or shrubs before winter. Wrap with burlap to protect from wind, sun, snow and critters or deer netting if you only have to worry about the critters. Tree wrap is used to wrap around the trunk of young trees to protect them from gnawing rodents and rabbits. And there are plenty of animal repellents out there to help protect your bark from their bite.

There is a lot to do before winter, but if you do one or two things per weekend, you will be ready.