Follow this fall garden checklist to prep your yard for winter because it is coming!!!
🌳 Get your lawn ready for winter
As the weather cools off, autumn lawn care is a combination of clean-up and encouraging new growth. It’s also a good time to help your grass recover from being trampled during backyard games of catch or maybe bocce ball this summer. So pave the way for lush, healthy grass next spring with these fall gardening tips:
- Deal with fallen leaves. Mow over them to chop them into smaller pieces that will add nutrients to the soil.
- Seed or lay sod.
- Aerate your lawn.
- Keep up with weeds.
- Raise your mower blade. Keeping your lawn taller will encourage more root growth, which helps grass survive the winter
🌳 Prep the perennial garden
Stop deadheading in early fall and leave the above-ground parts standing even after frost kills them (unless pests and diseases are an issue). They’ll provide both food and shelter for wildlife. Songbirds will enjoy the seed buffet, and many pollinators like native bees overwinter in standing stems and brush.
🌳 Complete the following tasks in your perennial garden in the fall
- Remove weeds.
- Add mulch. After the ground freezes, add a 4- to 5-inch-thick layer of bark mulch over the crown of perennials planted this growing year and those that are frost-tender in your area.
- Plant spring-blooming bulbs.
- Dispose of diseased or pest-ridden plants.
- Water once a week if dry
🌳 Refresh your vegetable garden for next year
Whether you have an elaborate kitchen garden or a small patch for raising edible plants, things will start to slow down in the fall as you harvest the last of your tasty bounty. Once a few frosts finally bring the growing season to an end, check off these vegetable garden chores to prepare for next season’s harvest.
- Clean out beds.
- Add compost. Spread a 2- to 3-inch-thick layer of compost over your bedsto enrich the soil. No need to till it in; precipitation and soil organisms will do the job for you.
- Expand planting areas. If you’d like to increase your planting space, fall is an excellent time to set up new raised beds or start a lasagna gardenwhere you want to smother grass for an in-ground bed. Lasagna gardening is a no-dig, no-till organic gardening method that results in rich, fluffy soil with very little work from the gardener. The name “lasagna gardening” has nothing to do with what you’ll be growing in the garden. Instead, it refers to the method of building the garden: adding layers of organic materials that will “cook down” over time, resulting in nutrient-rich soil that will help your plants thrive.
🌳 Care for trees and shrubs
Did you know fall is an excellent time for planting trees and shrubs?
- Plant new trees and shrubs. Add deciduous trees and shrubs until about a month before the ground usually freezes. You can also plant evergreen species in fall, but they tend to do better when planted in spring.
- Provide plenty of water. Newly planted trees and shrubs—and established ones—will tolerate harsh winter conditions better when well-watered in fall. Likewise, extra water for evergreens is essential in fall.
- Replenish mulch. Keep mulch from touching the trunks to prevent rot and other diseases.
- Prune after dormancy starts. Trimming after August will trigger tender new growth that’s easily damaged in winter. Instead, wait to prune until leaves have fallen from deciduous species.
- Guard trunks against deer and sun damage.
🌳 Organize your tools and gardening gear
As the growing season winds down, don’t forget to prep your garden tools for winter. Cleaned and refreshed, your favorite garden helpers will be ready when you are, come spring.
- Clean hand tools. Remove dirt, then place the metal ends of garden trowels, weeders, and other tools in a bucket of sand laced with vegetable oil.
- Sharpen blades.
- Drain hoses and irrigation lines.
- Clean out sprayers.
🌳 Clean up annuals and containers
Clean out flower beds and empty containers. The freeze and thaw cycle can crack containers, especially those made of clay left full of potting mix. After cleaning them out, store your pots and planters in a protected, dry area like a shed or garage.
- Collect and store seeds. Place each type of seed in a labeled envelope and stash them in a cool, dry place until sowing them in spring.
~ Article taken in part from Better Homes and Gardens for members’ benefit ~