Those cool evenings, morning frosts of fall call Georgians’
attention to many garden and landscape chores. Host Walter Reeves
shares a few of these on “Gardening in Georgia” Oct. 19 on
Georgia Public Television.

“Gardening in Georgia” (www.gardeningingeorgia.com) is produced
by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences and GPTV. It airs twice each Saturday, at
noon and 7 p.m.

On this week’s show, Reeves visits Biltmore Estates and helps
Parker Andes dig elephant ear corms while the work of pulling up
faded annuals and preparing beds for fall goes on all around
them.

UGA horticulturist Wayne McLaurin shows Reeves how to examine
compost to make sure everything has been digested. He describes a
homemade screen he uses to sift out the finished compost from
larger particles that need to stay longer in his pile.

Finally, Reeves looks at dahlias and explains that their tubers
won’t usually survive winter outdoors. He shows how to dig the
roots with a garden fork and dust any wounds with sulfur. He
packs the roots in a plastic tub filled with perlite and keeps
them in a cool spot until planting time next spring.