9 Tips for Cleaning Up the Fall Garden

Fall is here , and it ’s metre to put the garden to bottom for winter . desire to start next class ’s maturate time of year ahead of the game ? Here are nine tips for clean up the garden and getting ahead for next year .

1. Record Your Garden Layout

If you have n’t record your garden layout yet , now is the time to do it before spent crop are removed . Record it while you’re able to still remember ! This will make it easier to plan next year ’s crop rotation for reducing cuss and quash alimental lack .

2. Make a Fall Harvest

You ’ve worked severely in the garden all time of year , so take advantage of the earth ’s bounty and make that last harvest before cleaning up .

3. Save Seeds

harvest seeds is a different kind of harvest home , but it ’s just as useful as harvesting the garden truck . Saving your own source from crops and flowers that produce well will help you acquire varieties that are adapt to your specific growing condition .

4. Remove Spent Plants

There are two schoolhouse of thought about spent plants : One is that they should all be rip up and added to the compost pile in rescript to reduce the workload for next year ’s spring garden . The other schooltime of thought is that drop industrial plant should be left in place to biodegrade .

I take a center - of - the - route approaching : I edit out plants off at the base , leave the roots entire and bestow the pass flora to the compost pile . This way , soil amendment and mulch can be easily add to the beds , but the origin are left in place to enrich the soil .

There are two additional considerations when cleaning up plants . Plants that were diseased or bothered by pests should be pulled up altogether and cast aside in the garbage or burned to cut back overwintering of “ bad ” organisms . Also , many gardener go away the base of leguminous plant ( beans and peas ) intact in social club to enrich the ground with nitrogen . If you would like to experiment with this , simply cut the plant life at the base , leaving the roots and adding the plant matter to the compost pile .

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5. Weed the Garden

Now that the garden is clear out , it ’s easy to spot and remove weeds , another tip for saving time in the springtime . Most weeds will make an excellent addition to the compost pile , but there are a few types of sens that I pull up and leave right on top of the soil . locoweed like trefoil , dandelion , chickweed , lamb ’s quarters , plantain tree and purslane will really enrich the garden soil with nutrients .

6. Loosen the Soil With a Digging Fork

This is a helpful measure for maintain the no - till garden . untie the soil ( without turn it over ) will help aerate it and improve its concentration capacity of winter pelting . This is n’t a good time to till , however , as it can increase erosion by destroy louse burrow and good fungal networks that help to control the stain together over the winter .

7. Add Finished Compost and Maintain the Compost Pile

It ’s a good theme to do some upkeep on the compost pile before it freezes over the wintertime . This works out well because it ’s also a in force sentence to add ruined compost to the garden to prepare for fountain planting . Add any extra soil amendments to the garden along with the compost .

Now turn the compost voltaic pile with the added dope and spend works . This aeration will assist to speed up the compost process .

8. Sow a Cover Crop or Apply Manure

Winter continue crops fertilize the garden , increase microorganism activity , shorten erosion , break up compacted filth and aerate it , and outcompete early spring weeds . Many types of spread over crops will die back on their own , making outflow planting slow , while other cover crops will need to be cut back and turned into the soil about three workweek before planting . The constitutional subject will facilitate to discipline the soil . No - till gardener should assay out non - grass type screen crops that are more easily turned into the dirt by handwriting .

Alternatively , livestock manure can be give and turned into the soil in the fall . Manure fertilizes and conditions the soil while increase biological activity .

9. Mulch Garden Beds With Shredded Leaf Mold or Straw

Mulchinggarden bed will help oneself to protect soil microorganisms , worms and overwintering beneficial insects . It will also help to prevent corroding . foliage mould is shredded leave that have composted for at least a class , and ideally up to three twelvemonth . Straw can be used in plaza of leaf mold , but look for out chemical - free drinking straw from constitutive operations , as conventional straw is known to contain herbicide residues that can be relentless and shorten germination rate and plant vim . masking crops will not require mulch , but be sure to mulch ( non - cover - work ) annual beds , admit overwintering garlic and other vegetables . Perennials should also be mulched with folio mold , shuck or wood chips .

Now is a good time to crease up this year ’s leaves , rip up them and lead off to make folio mold for next year .

These nine wind will better the wellness of your garden and give you a head start on next year ’s spring garden . What footprint do you take in the dip to improve your garden ’s health ?

fall garden cleanup