http://www.care2.com/greenliving/fall-garden-chores.html
Fall Garden Chores
August to early September is one of the worst times in the garden. But it precedes one of the best times to work in the garden–fall. Even though the heat is still on, the beginning of September signals the coming of autumn, which officially starts on September 22.
Fall’s a great time to get a head-start planting next year’s garden. The winter rains and cooler temperatures allow the soil to stay moist longer, meaning you won’t have to water your new plants as much as you would if you planted them in the spring.
Also, throughout late fall, winter, and early spring, the plant will be helped by the winter rains, forcing it to rest and redirect its energy to root development. In spring, the plant will already have a healthy developed root-system and will be much bigger than what it would be if planted in the spring.
But before you plant, and regardless of whether you live in sunny Southern California–like me, or a colder climate, the first and possibly most important fall garden task is clean-up; how well you clean up the garden now determines the kind of garden you will have later on.
You may wonder if there’s a good reason to clean up other than aesthetics. The answer is yes. Keeping the garden clean is key to reducing insect and disease problems for next year.
Ensure a thorough cleaning job by employing these five chores:
1. Clean up perennial beds and borders.
2. Cut down dead flowers.
3. Dig up and remove diseased plants.
4. Clean up any leaves and stems.
5. If you have a vegetable garden, clean up any fruit and vegetables that have fallen.
Note: Any debris left in the garden over winter can cause diseases to enter the soil and appear in the spring.
After you clean up, and before you plant, it’s time to amend (or feed) the soil; healthy soil makes healthy-plants and lots of flowers and fruit. The first step in soil preparation is to till the soil to loosen it up. This will get the weeds and weed seeds out now so that later it will be easier to keep the soil bed weed-free. It’s also a good idea to till in the fall because it will dry out and warm up quicker in the spring letting you plant cool-season crops early.
Once the soil is tilled, make sure you feed it with lots of manure and compost so plant roots will grow well. Afterward, top it off with a good layer of mulch.
During the late fall you should also clean up your gardening tools. Have your shears, pruners, and mowers sharpened so you can beat the rush come spring. That way, your tools will be ready with the first burst of spring.
Robyn
Melissa
Deepak
Eric
Dave
Dr. Brent
Isha
Susan
Delia
Michelle
Wendy
Megan
Hilary
Ann
Judi
Ronnie
Kelly
Lily
Terri
Betsy
Cait
Andrew
Jana
Annie B.
Veronica
5 comments
add your comment »Thanks for reading everyone and sharing all of your helpful tips! We gardeners are truly a giving lot :)!
Judi
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
I know that a lot of people worry about those unexpected, but so common early frosts. I was too, and then last year the online nursery that I buy all of my plants and supplies from, started carrying these really neat protective, tube-like row covers. I can cover whole rows at once! They work great in the spring for warming up the soil before you plant too and they are easily removed and set back up. They seem to be sturdy and kind of accordion fold for storage, so that's a plus too. Check out GardenHarvestSupply.com
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
If you are still harvesting produce from your garden, you may want to visit http://www.AmpleHarvest.org - a site that helps diminish hunger by enabling backyard gardeners to share their crops with neighborhood food pantries.
The site is free both for the food pantries and the gardeners using it.
Over 900 food pantries nationwide are already on it and more are signing up daily.
It includes preferred delivery times, driving instructions to the pantry as well as (in many cases) information about store bought items also needed by the pantry (for after the growing season).
If your community has a food pantry, make sure they register on www.AmpleHarvest.org.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Okay, anyone who hates August to early September gardening has got to get Ruth Stout's No Work Gardening book. I started using her method four years ago. It takes awhile to convert, but once you do, late summer holds no fear. My garden is beautiful! Everyone comments on it. All I do is mulch, and it is so heavy that there is very little to do now except harvest. And when a whole row is harvested, then it is heavily mulched for winter. In the spring, I pull back the mulch to plant, then tuck it back around the new year's plants. Only place to weed is right next to the plants. Then just keep adding mulch! Don't turn it under, just let it compost on top of the ground. You will be creating more (and better) soil on top of the old. No need to rotate, either. Get the book! Save your back!! Love your garden ALL YEAR!!!!
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
A very useful article, easy to understand and helpful to an amature gardeners.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Facebook account: