Your garden is beginning to wind-down in fall, but there is still much to do. By completing a few simple tasks, you can ensure your plants survive the hard winter to come. This saves money on replacements while ensuring your hard work doesn’t go to waste.
Fall preparation isn’t just about your garden’s health though. A clean garden that’s free from plant debris looks neater, which is important if you want it to look attractive all-year round. Fall gardening can also make your garden ready for quick growth when spring arrives.
Fall Gardening Tip 1: Get Rid of Unwanted Plants and Growth
One of the most important autumn tasks is to remove unwanted growth. Spend some time cleaning up debris that’s starting to clog flower beds and removing plants that you don’t want.
This can be time-consuming, but it’s worth the effort. Removing plant debris doesn’t just make your garden look better. It can also reduce disease that can fester throughout the winter, while preventing pests and weeds.
Fall is also the time to bring sensitive tubers or bulbs indoors – at least if there is likely to be multiple freezes in your local area over winter.
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Fall Gardening Tip 2: Remove Leaves on a Regular Basis
Following on from the previous tip, removing leaves is vital for garden health. You can do this with a rake, but if you have a large garden or want to save time, a garden vacuum cleaner is a more efficient choice. There are some excellent vacuums available for as little as $200, making them a wise investment in the long-run.
As a bonus, you can use the leaves you remove to provide extra cover for your vegetable garden. Simply rake the leaves onto the lawn and then mow it. The resulting material can be spread over your vegetable patch to provide extra carbon and nitrogen.
Fall Gardening Tip 3: Prepare Perennials for Winter
One of the easiest ways to save time and money is to ensure your perennials are healthy when spring arrives. Fortunately, this doesn’t take long for each plant.
Start by cutting back dry stems – but only after the first frost. This removes any potentially diseased parts of the plant. Make sure you don’t damage stems with seed heads though.
Next, cut any leaves or branches that appear to be diseased. Put this straight into the bin, as you don’t want this material as part of your compost.
Fall Gardening Tip 4: Save Money on Pest Control
Rodents like to nest in soil during the winter months. For this reason, add 6-inches of compost after the first freeze to problem beds. This is much less attractive for rodents to inhabit and helps your plants remain healthy.
Fall Gardening Tip 5: Prevent Weeds From Taking Hold
One of the best ways to discourage weeds over the winter is to use leaf mold. It’s important to remove any weeds first, then spread leaf mold over patches of vegetables that have already grown. This blocks sunlight from weeds that are still in the soil.
The depth of the leaf mold depends on the location. In areas that don’t get much sun, a thin layer can do the job. Well-lit areas may require 3-4 inches of leaf mold to stop weeds growing though.
Fall Gardening Tip 6: Prepare All Trees for Harsh Winter Weather
Mature trees don’t require much preparation for winter, but younger trees need some extra attention. The most important task is to wrap young stems with tree-guards. This prevents rodents and other animals from gnawing at young and soft bark.
Evergreen shrubs can also do with some extra protection. A simple screen can protect them from the wind and sun, which helps reduce the drying effect of a cold winter’s day.
Extra Tips for Protecting Vegetables
Winter can be a difficult time for vegetables, so you don’t want to waste your hard work and money by not preparing beds correctly. Here are some tips for making sure your vegetables stay strong and healthy:
If possible, build some extra raised beds for your plants during winter. These provide an excellent growing bed for vegetables and protects them during the cold months.
After the last harvest of a vegetable, remove any plant debris before you mulch the bed.
Replenish the soil’s nutrients by adding organic matter, such as compost, to your vegetable beds.
You may be able to squeeze an extra harvest out of certain plants during the fall. You can sow crops such as carrots or beets at the start of fall for a final harvest of the year.
Conclusion
Your garden looks like it’s slowing down as fall arrives, but there is still plenty happening below the soil – at least until the first frost arrives. For this reason, fall preparation is an essential part of maintaining a healthy and cost-effective garden.
If you don’t have time to complete all the tasks on this list, the most important are removing debris and getting rid of nuisance plants. This prevents disease and allows your plants to flourish come spring.