Store Your Bulbs for Winter

Instead of spending your hard-earned money on new dahlias, tulips, lilies, or other tender bulbs every year, why not simply keep the ones you already have? As soon as their leaves start to turn color in the fall, dig ‘em up and wash them in a bucket of our Terrific Bulb-Cleaning Tonic (below), then tuck them away in a frost-free place until next spring. Here are the easy bulb-cleaning instructions:

1. Mix up a batch of the Terrific Bulb-Cleaning Tonic: 2 tablespoons of baby shampoo, 1 teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide, and 1 quart of warm water in a bucket.
2. Gently drop your bulbs into the mixture. Let them soak for a minute or so, remove them, and set them on a wire rack to drain.
3. Be sure to let them dry thoroughly before you put them away; otherwise, they’ll rot.
4. When next spring rolls around, pull out those bulbs, plant ‘em as usual, and enjoy the beautiful blooms—and that extra money you saved!

For more great gardening tips all year ‘round, check out our bestselling book, Old-Time Gardening Wisdom! You can even try it out for FREE for 21 days with our Free Preview. Happy growin’!