HOME CHECKLIST

Halloween seems like yesterday, but it's almost time to put up those holiday lights. Consider switching to more energy-efficient cheer this season.

LED lights use up to 80 percent less energy and last up to 25,000 hours. They're available in a rainbow of colors to fit any decorating theme.

Now is a good time to shop for LED lights as well as such other innovations as programmable, battery- powered and motion lights.

On Saturday and Sunday, The Home Depot adds its own bright note to holiday lighting: Trade in your old holiday lights – working or not – and get money-saving coupons good toward the purchase of energy-efficient holiday lighting.

The fourth annual Eco Options Christmas Light Trade-In event offers coupons worth $3 to $5 off new Home Accents Holiday, Martha Stewart Living, GE LED, EcoSmart or Lightshow LED string lights. Customers can get up to five coupons, one per trade-in.

"LED Christmas lights continue to be the growing trend in holiday décor," said Brad Whited, The Home Depot's holiday expert. "Since The Home Depot began selling LED Christmas lights in 2006, the technology has improved and customers' interest in them continues to grow with sales increasing each of the past five years. Last year, The Home Depot sold more than 40,000 miles of light sets, enough to circle the globe 1.5 times."

The trade-in event will be available at all Home Depot stores, Whited said. The old lights will be recycled.

Recycling those old string lights is a lot easier than trying to untangle them.

GARDEN CHECKLIST

• If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.

• To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their remaining leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective if applied now. Choose a fungicide with at least 50 percent copper.

• For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.

• Plant daffodils and other spring bulbs. Don't forget tulips and hyacinths that you may have chilling in the refrigerator; they need to go in the ground now.

• Rake and compost leaves. (But dispose of any leaves that show signs of disease, such as rust.)

• In the vegetable garden, plant seeds for fava beans, peas, bok choy, Swiss chard, leaf lettuce, mustard, spinach, garlic, onion sets, shallots and radishes.

• For spring flowers, plant seeds for California poppies, cornflower, larkspur and sweet peas.

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

Call The Bee's Debbie Arrington, (916) 321-1075.

• Read more articles by Debbie Arrington