Fall is the perfect time to get in some fall gardening and prepare for next season. There are a few essential tasks you need do this year’s garden, like preparing your soil!
Here we’ll cover what these important steps entail:
1. FALL PLANTING
It’s easy to start a fall garden even if your frost date is in October or later. You can find plants at nurseries, or use garden planning spreadsheets to know exactly when you should start planting.
Here are the most frost tolerant plants you can plant this fall:
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- lettuce
- kale
- chard
- cabbage
- collards
- lettuce
- spinach
- radishes
- onions
- garlic
- turnips
- beets
- carrots
Planning a fall garden isn’t much different from your spring one. Just make sure you are watching the weather and have a plan in place to protect plants from frost at night, but don’t forget that there are also plenty of flowers that can be planted for adding color throughout October!
2. PULL UP DEAD PLANTS
Don’t forget to clean up the summer garden before it gets too cold. The dead leaves and stems will shelter fungi, which can cause disease in plants or pests during their winter hibernation period, so make sure you take care of this first.
Healthy plants are the best for composting. Don’t waste time with diseased ones!
3. TILL THE SOIL
I love gardening but I have to admit that tilling is not my favorite thing. When done in excess, it stirs up weed seeds and disturbs the soil bacteria fungi environment for earth worms – all things you want to avoid! However there are some really good reasons one might decide they need/want their garden stirred up with a spade every now again!
Tilling the soil helps break up clumps in hard and compacted soil. It will also kill some weeds, which is always nice!
Tilling is a temporary solution for weed control. It only kills the weeds currently growing on top of your soil, and plenty more seeds will be stimulated to grow so this doesn’t solve anything long-term!
Tilling in the fall can also expose pupae of caterpillars and beetles which should be removed when seen. You may use a tiller to incorporate compost, manure or leaf matter!
HOW TO TILL YOUR GARDEN CORRECTLY
If you want a weed-free garden, it’s important that the soil is tilled. Wait four or seven days after tillage before applying any organic matter so as to allow weeds time for decomposition.
After this, it is extremely important to add mulch. Mulching is the key to keeping your garden weed free. If you’re not using any type of cover crop, then be sure that whatever mulch material you use on top has plenty of straw in it because this will help prevent weeds from growing under their roots!
Tilling can be done with a hand tiller, electric/gas powered tillers or tractors. Use rakes to prepare the surface of your soil before planting different types of cover crops depending on what you’re growing and how much space there is available in order for them grow well!
4. SPREAD COVER CROPS
The use of cover crops in gardens is an excellent way to add organic matter, nutrients and moisture that your soil may need. We have used red clover for our fall planting while also utilizing winter peas on top so they can provide some shade from direct sunlight during hot summer days!
We recommend red clover as an easy-to manage cover crop for your garden bed. It will fix nitrogen and create a living mulch, which you can then till under to help enrich the soil in future years!
5. PLANT BULBS AND TREES
Planting early spring flowers can be a magical experience. So if you’re looking for the perfect way to welcome in new life, consider planting your garden with daffodils and tulips!
Fall is also when it’s time for shrubs as well as fruit trees or ornamental plants – just make sure that there are still some weeks left before frost hits so they have enough time to adjust.
6. BUILD ROW COVERS TO EXPAND THE GROWING SEASON
If you want to protect your plant from frost this fall, make sure that they’re covered at night. A simple fabric cover like Agribon will do the trick!
If you have early frosts, it is best to cover your tunnel with fabric. You can use any kind of material – just make sure not to let the plastic touch! During frosty days open up both ends for ventilation and keep an eye on how hot things are getting under there so they don’t overheat or burn themselves.
The best way to keep your plants safe from frost is by moving them into a container with plenty of insulation. If you can’t do this, make sure they’re placed next to an outside window where there will always be sunlight and warmth!
7. MULCH YOUR BEDS
Mulching over the winter is a great way to add organic matter and protect your soil from erosion. Mulch will also help decrease weed growth, which means you’ll have less work in spring!
Mulching is a great way to get all of the benefits that come with it while also recycling your yard. You can use cardboard, newspaper or grass clippings and fallen leaves layered under wood chips or straw for best results!
Make sure you apply mulch after applying an annual cover crop like legumes because pests may take shelter in its moist contents if there isn’t enough organic material on top before planting anything else.
8. PRUNE TREES AND SHRUBS
The best time to prune your plant is in the fall. Pruning ensures that it will be ready for winter without getting too much sunlight, which would cause them not only die but also take away from any space you want or need around it!
Be careful when cutting back plants because they might start sprouting new growth which could get frostbitten during cold weather.
WHAT NOT TO DO: DON’T FERTILIZE YOUR GARDEN BEDS
Fertilizing should be done in early spring and summer. As the weather gets warmer, plants will slow down their growth to conserve energy; they don’t need extra nutrients then!
3 FALL TASKS NEAR-THE-GARDEN
When the harvest is over, don’t forget to clean up and store your garden tools. Make sure you save seed from this summer’s successful season so it can be replanted next year with more success!
Check out all of those end-of-season sales at home improvement stores as well, and stock up on everything you might need for next season.