By Tamara Galbraith

You see them all over the place during autumn: bales of hay used as fall decor. But once all the pumpkins and scarecrows have been put away, what should you do with your bale of hay? (Hey, I made a rhyme!)

One option is: compost it. Hay is an excellent additive to the compost pile, and ideally, the heat of the pile will kill any weed seeds that might be languishing in the bales. Straw apparently breaks down even better than hay.

Hay and straw make great mulches and/or path covers too. First, though, break open the bales and let them sit outside for a couple of weeks. This will allow wild birds to come in and munch on any weed seeds that might still be present. When spreading hay or straw bales on garden beds, be sure they don't stay too clumpy as you break the bales apart.

Lastly, hay bales left intact make great cold frames - a kind of mini-greenhouse for housing tender plants during the colder seasons. Simply arrange the bales in a tight square and place your plants inside, either right in the soil or in containers. A piece of Plexiglas or an old window serves as the lid.

If you decide to give this easy cold frame a try, be aware that you must monitor the temperature frequently. Too much sun, and the plants inside will fry, so prop the lid open if necessary. If temperatures are going to drop below freezing, throw a blanket over the whole contraption and remove it when things stabilize.

No matter what, the hay will eventually break down, though, so keep an eye out for that -- as well as the occasional mouse looking for a warm, fluffy place to spend the winter.

By Tamara Galbraith

As I've added chopped leaves and compost to my garden beds this fall, it is such a pleasure to turn over some soil and see it literally crawling with earthworms.

Of all the creatures in your garden, earthworms are probably the most important. They are the digesters of organic material and the makers of fluffy, healthy soil. Much as we love them, however, they do have their enemies...in the form of predators. So how can we better protect our valuable little wiggly friends?

At 70% protein, earthworms make a nice meaty snack for birds, reptiles and mammals, especially moles. Because we certainly don't want to go around wiping out birds, reptiles and mammals, we'll let them have their share. But there are some sinister characters lurking in the soil.

In certain conditions, red mites can attack earthworms. If you see red dots on earthworms in your yard, you should cut down on the moisture in that area--it may be too wet. Also, put out pieces of watermelon or potato to draw and trap the mites. Dispose of the pieces and repeat the process to cut down the mite population over time.

Flatworms, otherwise known as land planarians, are probably an earthworm's most hated rival. These long, slimy, longitudinal-striped worms with a flattened head--a native of Indo-China that hitched a ride on greenhouse plants--will actually melt earthworms with an enzyme before slurping them up. And they do it a lot. Blech.

The best control if you see a flatworm is to spray it with citrus oil or vinegar. Whatever you do, don't smash it, because each piece has the ability to regenerate into a new flatworm. Double blech.

Nowadays most soft fruits, with the exception of cane plants such as raspberries, are usually sold in containers. They can be planted at almost any time, but late autumn is ideal when there is a good choice of plants in garden centers. Bare-root plants must be planted while dormant.

Excavate the soil for an area at least twice the size of the root-ball or container so that you can improve the soil over an area that the roots are likely to explore later.

Although it is not essential, your fruit will do much better if you can add plenty of humus-making material to the soil. Dig in as much rotten manure or garden compost as you can spare. We recommend Gardner & Bloome Harvest Supreme.

Soak the roots of bare-root plants in water for an hour before planting, and water container-grown plants for at least half an hour before planting. Place a plant in the hole and use a cane to make sure that it will be at its original depth.

Firm the plant in well, pressing with the heel of the foot to remove any large pockets of air around the roots. After firming the soil, hoe and rake the ground to remove footprints, then water thoroughly. Although it seems drastic, most bushes grown on stems that sprout from the base, such as black currants and raspberries, are best cut back to about 9-12 inches after planting. This will stimulate new shoots to grow from the base.