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People look forward to autumn’s cool breezes and pumpkin-spiced foods every year. Watching nature prepare for its winter slumber is beautiful, but that means your garden has to shift into the new season as well. Read this guide to learn all about getting your garden ready for fall so your plants get the care they need before winter arrives.
You’re likely among the many gardeners who grow some of the 3,600 perennial plant species during the spring and summer. Plants like peonies and begonias are gorgeous, but they require trimming in the fall.
Cut them down so they’re a maximum of 2 inches tall at the stem when fall weather arrives. You can prepare for this in the late summer by labeling your perennials and investing in sharp shears.
Making your plants healthier is part of getting your garden ready for fall. Inspect your mulch, the underside of each leaf and the base of your plants to spot bugs and disease.
If you get rid of both at the end of summer, your garden will be healthy enough to slowly wind down for winter. The key is researching whatever’s present around or on your plants to select the most effective fungicides and pesticides.
Applying new mulch does much more than give your garden a facelift. It also protects your plants from fall and winter weather. Think of your mulch as a thick blanket that regulates the soil temperature around each plant’s root system. Fresh mulch that hasn’t encountered any weathering will provide the best seasonal protection from fluctuating temperatures.
Clear out your gutters if you want a budget-friendly solution to this fall preparation tip. The leaves lingering in your gutters or along your roof will benefit your soil. Given how a single oak tree loses a minimum of 200,000 leaves during autumn, you can repeat your leaf collection for a month or two and apply them around your garden for additional plant protection.
The dahlias and asters that decorate your garden during the summer won’t survive the fall. Spend the last week or two of summer removing any seasonal plants that only grow in warm weather.
You’ll get rid of them before they can rot and introduce disease to your surrounding plants. They’ll also leave space for autumn alternatives like mums and sunflowers.
Autumn is an opportunity to plant vegetables that create bountiful spring harvests. Spend the last weeks of summer considering if you want to try planting fall veggies this year. If you plant carrots, onions and garlic, you’ll get an extra big spring harvest.
Garden enthusiasts who live in mild to moderate winter climates could also choose options like broccoli and peas. It might be a nice change of pace if you’ve grown flowers throughout the year.
Annuals have a year-long life cycle, but that doesn’t guarantee they’re up for winter hibernation. If you have annuals that are struggling to grow or encountering continual disease, it’s time to remove them. This is an important part of getting your garden ready for fall because it’s helpful to know when plants have seen better days.
This step is also an opportunity to check for pests again. Note which bugs are harming your annuals and which are helping. The tiny white soil mites you might want to banish actually eat decaying matter that might otherwise spread disease in your garden. It’s important to let nature help your plants as much as you do.
Annuals, bulb flowers and tropical plants need extra support when cold weather arrives. Research the species in your garden to see which won’t survive the cold weather. You’ll have enough time to decide which path is best for their long-term care. You might uproot some to grow in your home until spring or cover them in burlap in addition to applying mulch around their roots.
Crop rotation is always a crucial part of getting your garden ready for fall. It allows the soil to replace its lost nutrients, so you don’t have bare garden patches. The key is learning which nutrients your current plants rely on so you can replant them in the best areas for crop rotation purposes.
If you planted potatoes last year, consider planting them in a different area and adding another kind of feeder to the old location. Swapping between crops improves soil fertility without limiting what you can grow.
Plants need lots of water in the summer because the scorching temperatures makes it evaporate from the soil quickly. Fall and winter weather don’t require the same watering routine.
Adjust how often you water your plants as the season shifts. You’ll prepare yourself for your upcoming routine and avoid over-saturating your plants during autumn.
Test your soil at the end of summer to see what your garden needs. It’s an excellent time to add compost. The material delivers organic matter that supplies nutrients and moisture your plants need to thrive.
You can add this by getting a bag of compost from a garden center or starting your own compost bin early in the summer. You’ll need to work the material at least 1 inch deep into the soil of your existing garden.
If you’re working with a new space, the same research recommends working compost 3 to 4 inches into the soil. A digging fork will simplify this process so your garden is ready for fall in a single afternoon.
Your plants can thrive all year round if you know what they need during each season. Once you start getting your garden ready for autumn with these tips, you’ll fortify your plants and your gardening routine so cooler weather doesn’t set your plants back.
Jack Shaw is a freelance writer specializing in home improvement, gardening, and caring for the outdoors. He’s the senior writer of Modded and has contributed his advice through sites like Green Living Journal, House 2 Home Organizing, Log Cabin Hub, and more. You can reach him via LinkedIn.
