Gardening Question of the Week: How Do You Store Your Tender Bulbs for the Winter?

While gardeners in zones 8 and above can grow dahlias, cannas, caladiums and their tender cousins year round, northern gardeners will need to dig and store these plants to overwinter them. And since the first frosts are beginning to hit, the task can't be put off much longer. It's not one of gardening's more pleasant jobs, but the payoff is worth the effort. While there are no absolute rules for overwintering tender bulbs, corms, rhizomes and tubers, here are some guidelines and safeguards to make your efforts more successful. Better still, here's a video to show you how.

Photo: ? Marie Iannotti (2008 licensed to About.com, Inc.

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Featured Plant of the Week: Winter Squash

What would the harvest season be without winter squash? It's not just their beautiful fall colors that make them perfect for the season or even the wonderfully comforting soups and pies you can make with them. It's all that and the promise of more to come. Winter squash can be stored for months. You'll be enjoying this season's harvest well into winter.

Yet not many home gardeners still grow winter squash, in their vegetable gardens. A lot of folks think of them as space hogs - and many are. It takes the whole growing season for winter squash to mature. If space is a concern, try one of the newer compact varieties of winter squash. With compact plants and fruits, there's a winter squash for every size garden. Take a look at some favorites and if you didn't grow your own this year, there's still time to visit a local farmers' market to sample and plan for next year.

Photo: ? Marie Iannotti

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