After a terrific summer fall seems to be hitting me hard. I HATE wearing socks, putting on long sleeves and even wearing long pants again. Even though I love being a ‘Child of Winter’ (Warren Miller ski film term) I think I may also be a Child of Summer. The winds of fall are throwing branches and trees down already and the tomato crop is furiously producing fruit, almost as if it knows the time is limited.
As the season pushes through the remains of summer I start to think of the things I need to get ready to do for fall. Everybody’s list is a little different but gardening tasks never really cease, they just change.
Clean-up: Finish the last bit of weeding and mulching. If the garden is weedy at the onset of winter the weeds will remain and gather strength through the fall and winter. Just like fall planting the roots grow well in the fall and winter. Getting your areas cleaned up and weeded through will give you a head start on spring.
Mulching: I mulch with compost in the fall and spring. This year the mulch was spread most of the year through. When planting a new bed I spread mulch as the final top dressing. This means I don’t have to use much in the way of fertilizers. Healthy soil is the best way to have amazing gardens.
Compost: Speaking of compost now is the time to add to the pile. I actually have two separate piles of compost. One is weeds and invasive plants. This weed pile grows throughout the summer and is removed at the end of the year or whenever it gets large. I don’t attempt to compost weeds because I also have horsetail on my property so I want it gone. The actual compost pile is vegetables, leaves, pruning bits, and some grass. I build layers with cardboard and will use it in the spring. Many times I add a top of Black plastic to help heat it up and keep it from getting too wet (I live in a wet climate).
Pruning: Some plants need to be cut back now. Many times I wait and enjoy the shapes of the dead flowers and grasses in the winter. Birds love any seeds left on the plants and I get to enjoy their gathering. I like to wait until the first frost and clean up the flopped plants. Often our fall lasts until October or November with dahlias and cannas still in bloom.
Greenhouse: If you have a greenhouse it needs to be cleaned out and hosed out. If you have had pest problems a good cleaning with an environmentally friendly disinfectant will insure a good success for the winter. My greenhouse will overwinter tropicals and other non-hardy plants. Most of the summer it houses my orchids but remains mostly empty. I clean pots and get rid of dead plants. Glass needs to be cleaned and insulation checked.
Seeds: Collect seed from plants now for next year. As the world changes it may be vital someday to collect seed. I use non-GMO seeds so all my vegetable seeds can be collected and replanted. Look for an upcoming post on seed collecting.
Enjoy: Enjoy the beautiful season. Collect and gather leaves, nuts, seed heads and see the amazing world in your garden go dormant. Take a hike to see massive amounts of leaves in color and the freshening of the forest as the mushrooms re-emerge and mosses start to grow again.
What are you doing in your garden this fall?
