The winter months can be very dangerous. If golden leaves are coming back it would be wise to cover soft plants, place containers on top and cover mulch for additional frost protection.
Fall is here, and with it comes the inevitable slowing of activity in the garden. Depending on your location, perennials may be blushing with color or starting to drop their leaves. After the rush of spring planting and the peak of summer’s harvest, it’s tempting to shut the garden gate and let nature take its course. Annual vegetables are nearing the end of their lifespan and are starting to succumb to the nip of successively heavier frosts.
Prune perennials with care. Fall is a good time to trim some perennial garden plants, though take care to ensure you choose the right ones. Although plants like fennel benefit from a fall pruning, research shows that spent raspberry canes continue to nourish the plant’s crown into the winter. Blueberries also prefer a spring pruning, which helps safeguard the plant from exposure to disease and stress.
Clean and sharpen tools
Although the majority of gardeners know to clean and maintain all equipment during the year, it is hard to keep up with this during full-time gardening. Fall has been the perfect time to renew your equipment’s life. Give it attention. Start off with a clean of the tools for removal. When corrosion is detected, wipe with sand paper or wire. Sharpen hammers and shovel blades using the basic milling files. A whet stone is useful in trimming. Let your tools be cleaned by applying oiled rags coated in soft machine oil. It protects your equipment from air pollution and prolongs its lifespan.
Divide and plant bulbs
While spring bulbs are now blooming and dead, other flowering bulbs such as lilies bloom earlier in the year. Three or four weeks after the spectacular show, the time for planting was ripe for removing clumps and stragglies from plant beds during the growing seasons. In Spring Bulbs there may be some guesswork needed to locate them. The other species is evident. Take four to eight inches of the plants growing stalks and carefully loosen up the soil. Lift the bulbs slowly and separate the bulbs that will be transplanted elsewhere on the plant. It’s time to plant a new plant.
Plant cover crops
Late summer or early fall are good times when sowing cover crops such as rye, vegetable seeds or clover. It helps prevent soil erosion by breaking down clumps and increasing the organic content of plants and soil. Covers provide nutrition in the soil and helps the soil absorb carbon. Planting legume crops in gardens like clover and pea can enhance your availability of nitrogen for vegetable garden plants. Although general guidelines suggest planting cover plants at least one month after your first frost many cover crops will have harder growth.
Plant cover crops. In many climates, late summer or early fall is a good time to sow cover crops like rye, vetch or clover. These crops help prevent soil erosion, break up compacted areas and increase levels of organic matter in garden beds. Cover crops also add nutrients and help your soil draw carbon into the soil from the atmosphere.
Simply cover your garden beds with a thick layer of organic material and it will help perennials endure repeated freezes and thaws, while also reducing soil erosion that can commonly follow heavy rain during wet months.
Harvest and regenerate your compost
The heat of Summer ends. When the microbes settle for their winter nap, they may have been inclined to ignore the compost pile. It’s another missed opportunity. The compost that was gathered in the Summer was probably done and ready for transport by then. Using it for gardening, soil amendment or lawn maintenance can nourish your soil and increase your lawn’s growth in spring time. Second, the clean up of compost means leaving a second batch that will — in most places — protect against the winter chills.
eep late-harvest veggies One thing to remember about vegetable gardens is not to be too quick to clear out broccoli, Brussels sprouts and kale, because they not only tolerate a light frost, but they get a little sweeter because of it. They can sometimes be harvested well into winter.
Review the plants in your garden and assess your growing season
Do you have a garden that produces fruits and veggies? It’s time for you to look at underperforming plants. If your crops perform well, you may want to extend harvesting and add new species that ripen sooner or later during the season. Take notes of vegetable success in the future to know what did not work. Some seasons’ success may be blamed on weather, while others can be attributed to yourself. The soil fertility level and placement of plants can all be adjusted.
Prune perennials with care
Fall can be an ideal time to trim some of your plants. Although plants such as Fennel need trimming during the fall, research suggests discarded cane berries will continue to nourish its crown in the winter. Blueberry’s also favor a spring prune as a precaution that protects against diseases and stresses. Focus autumn pruning on floral blooms and rhubarb. Blackberries benefit from autumn cleaning. Removing the canes and tucking canes reduce the plants’ spread.
Restore mulch
Mulching winter has several advantages compared to summer mulching. It is also important to reduce water losses to reduce erosion and inhibit weeds. Winter mulch also provides many benefits as it transitions to a warmer climate. Add mulch to the soil surface helps control soil heat and moisture. Besides protecting your plants from harsh frost and prolonging their growth, mulch around your root vegetable leaves for fall and winter harvests is also recommended.
Add mulch From garden compost to shredded bark, many tender plants will benefit from mulch over their roots for added protection in winter. Simply cover your garden beds with a thick layer of organic material and it will help perennials endure repeated freezes and thaws, while also reducing soil erosion that can commonly follow heavy rain during wet months.
Amend your soil for spring
While most people reserve the activity for Spring, fall provides great opportunity for adding amendments like manure or compost or organic fertilizers such as bone meal, kelp or rock phosphates. Often times, when a soil is enriched and nutrient dense, it’s able to break down and become biologically active. Amend soil to make the new soil easier for people to use in the busy months.
Clean up diseased plants. Leave the rest in place
Many spent plant parts can be discarded to decay and add nutrients, but many contain disease, pest and fungus. It’s time to remove any disease signs during the growth season. Those remaining crop residues will provide soil protection and help prevent soil erosion during Winter. They are also home of overwintering pollinators.
Remove spent or crossing canes to help control the plant’s vigorous spread. Resist the urge to cut back your perennial flowering plants, particularly those covered in seed heads. These will make excellent meals for overwintering birds in your neighborhood and add interest to the winter garden. Stalks and leaves also provide winter protection for a plant’s tender crowns.
Remove invasive weeds that may have taken hold during the growing season
Have I ever heard about bindiweed? Is the Himalaya Blackberry invasive on the landscapes? We must confront this renegade now. Dig into the trash or cover with sand or mulch. Invasive weeds remain viable in compost heaps. Eliminating invasive plants is a good solution if it can’t be removed.
Add windbreaks
A strong wind may damage weeds, distorting them from forming. Windbreak or Shelterbelt is a semipermeable barrier designed to protect the young and the weakest plants from wind gusts. A strategically placed windbreak with fleece mesh also assists in insulating them.
Improve drainage
Water-contaminated soil can cause the roots to become damaged as well reducing their oxygen levels, which cause the trees to die, explains Martine.
Tips for Preparing Your Garden for Winter
What’s the best way to winterize your garden? How can you winterize your garden? How to keep vegetables and herb plants healthy during the winter months?
If you have a compost bin, just before winter is the best time to harvest and use what you’ve created. Once summer is over, your compost bin has likely created a batch of nutrient-rich soil that’s ready to use. Plus, your plants, trees and shrubs will love the extra nourishment just before the cold weather kicks in. To prepare your garden for winter, use up the compost in your bin for things like sowing grass seeds and topping up the soil in your flowerbeds.
Wood fencing only needs to be about 5 feet high to be effective, which meets most municipal fencing height codes. Wood fencing is more aesthetically pleasing, offers privacy, and can be customized to compliment your outdoor space and the architecture of your home. There are many ready-made repellants that deter deer because of their unpleasant order. However, repellants are only effective if you consistently reapply them, especially after rain.
Garden tidy up So when should you prepare your garden for winter? Well, as November turns into December, clearing debris and getting your garden looking as tidy as possible is important. Remove all unwanted matter to your compost heap, cut back perennial plants to soil level and ensure that your potting shed is in order. However, soil will appreciate being left alone as it needs protection from the ravages of winter – over-digging can remove all of the natural decay that will have helped form a protective top layer.
