Happy Veterans’ Day!

Here’s wishing a happy Veterans’ Day to all of our active and retired Armed Forces out there. And for the rest of you, be sure to give an extra tip of the hat (or a great big hug) to all of the service members in your life. After all, they’ve given so much to us.

In the meantime, Ol’ Jack Frost has been making lots of appearances lately, dropping heavy hints that winter is just around the corner. So there’s no time like the present to prepare your beds for the cold months ahead with a thick blanket of mulch. And my Sleepytime Tonic will feed the mulch so that it can nourish your garden until it’s time to wake up. Here’s how:

Mix 1 can of beer, 1 can of regular cola (not diet), 1 cup of baby shampoo, ½ cup of ammonia and ¼ cup of instant tea granules in a bucket, then pour the mixture into your 20 Gallon Hose-End Sprayer. Saturate the mulch in flower beds, around shrubs, and under trees.

After you’ve given your beds one last sleepytime snack, be sure to store all of your leftover tonics and tonic ingredients in tightly closed, labeled containers, well beyond the reach of children and pets. Make sure that all unused, dry lawn food is raised off the floor on wooden pallets, or tucked into clean plastic garbage cans with good, tight lids. That way, they’ll be ready and rarin’ to go come spring.

For more terrific garden tips and tonics, check out my Backyard Problem Solver book—FREE for 21 days! It’s chock-full of handy hints, helpers, and how-tos.