Preparing for Autumn:
Tips for getting your plants, soil,
and tools ready for cooler weather
Fall is just around the corner… Trees
give us a spectacular show of colors, just before the leaves fall, carpeting
the sidewalks and streets. The air grows crisper, our breath coming out like
plumes of smoke. The air smells faintly of nutmeg and spice as we add mittens
and scarves to our attire. We are ready for autumn! But are our gardens as
prepared as we are?
As the temperatures drop, it’s time
to consider putting most of our gardens to bed for the winter. Now is the time
to remove any debris and seeds that have the potential to last through winter
and encourage pests, disease, and weeds. Get rid of the old compost and start
fresh. Additionally, spreading compost over veggie beds will help protect them
over the winter. It’s also a good idea to remove spent plants and vegetables as
well as any dead or diseased plants and fruits. Don’t give in to the urge to
prune, because the fragile plant that is left behind may not be able to harden
before the winter arrives. And don’t abandon your garden just because it’s
stopped yielding crop.
Be sure to take care of your tools
and hardware. Clean metal and wooden tools properly so they will be ready to
use again in the spring. Remove, clean,
and store stakes and trellises until the weather warms and dries a bit. Winterize
your water features and lawn furniture. Don’t forget to clean out your garden
shed, properly disposing of any chemicals that are past their shelf life.
Just because summer is over doesn’t
mean that you can’t continue to both plant and harvest plants that will thrive
in the colder seasons. There are many veggies that can flourish up to the first
freeze, such as cabbage, garlic, peas, spinach, and many others. Flowers can
thrive during fall as well: pansies, marigolds, snapdragons, goldenrods… just
to name a few. Nurseries stock covers
and frames to protect cool weather gardens. Autumn is also the best time to
seed new grass; conditions are ripe for growing: more rain, warm days, and cool
nights.
Tending to your garden in
fall will not only keep it healthy for spring, but can continue to return
bountiful harvests throughout the season!
