Your garden isn’t done yet. Here are four important things to do in the fall to make it better in the spring.
When the cool fall air comes in and the days get shorter, it’s easy to want to put away your gardening gloves and call it a day. But hold on! The work you do now will help you have a great spring. Imagine putting your garden to bed for a long winter’s nap so it can wake up fresh and ready to grow.
Here are four important things to do this fall that will pay off big time next year.
1. Clean up the Great Garden
You could say that this is the most important job to do in the fall. If you leave dead plants and trash in your garden over the winter, it’s like putting out a welcome mat for pests and diseases.
Pull out all of your dead annuals, like marigolds, zinnias, and tomato plants, all the way down to the root.
Clear Debris: Rake up any dead leaves and sick plants that have fallen into your garden beds. A clean bed keeps fungi, mold, and insect eggs from finding a warm place to spend the winter.
Weed One Last Time: Pull up any weeds that have grown. Every weed you pull now means there will be one less in the spring.
2. Cut, trim, and protect
Your perennial plants and shrubs will be much better off with a little “haircut” and a winter coat.
Cut back perennials like peonies, hostas, and daylilies to a few inches above the ground after the first hard frost. This keeps the garden neat and directs the plant’s energy to its roots.
Protect the Weak: When the ground gets cold, put a thick layer (4–6 inches) of mulch, straw, or shredded leaves around the base of more delicate plants like roses or young hydrangeas. This works like a winter blanket to keep the roots safe from big changes in temperature. You can also wrap them in burlap if the weather is very cold.
3. Give your soil food for the future
Your soil is worn out from a long growing season. The best time to give it back some nutrients is in the fall. Adding amendments now gives them the whole winter to break down, which makes the soil very rich and fertile for planting in the spring.
Put a 2- to 3-inch layer of compost, old manure, or shredded leaves on top of your garden beds. You can gently push it into the first few inches of soil, or you can just leave it on top and let the earthworms do the work for you.
4. Put in a spring surprise
This is the most exciting and hopeful thing to do in the fall! It feels like burying a little treasure when you plant bulbs in the fall. When the snow melts, the treasure will come back as a beautiful reward. It’s time to plant bulbs that will bloom in the spring.
When to Plant: Alliums, crocuses, hyacinths, daffodils, and tulips are all planted in the fall. Remember to get garlic! If you plant garlic cloves now, you’ll get a lot of them next summer.
How to Plant: A good rule of thumb is to plant bulbs three times as deep as they are tall. Make sure to plant them with the pointy end facing up!
If you put in some work this fall, your spring gardening will be easier and more successful. You will be glad you did!
What are your favorite bulbs to plant in the fall so you can see some color in the spring? Please tell us in the comments!
