As fall gets into full swing it is time to prepare your garden ready for fall. Doing a few steps now will get the garden ready and give you the best garden come spring. Use these easy ideas to prepare your garden for fall.
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Add Fertilizers
It is best to add a slow-release fertilizer to the soil that will continue to feed the garden over the winter months. The plants in spring and summer take the nutrients out of the soil and by adding them back in over the fall and winter, the ground is ready for plants in the spring.
Weed Killers
Weedkillers should be applied twice a year. Adding the weedkiller, preferably something organic, in the fall will kill the seeds that we dropped during the spring and summer and prevent them from growing back in the fall.
Collect Seeds
If you have plants that are growing from heirloom seeds, you will want to collect the seeds during the fall so that you can use them for the following spring. This gives the seeds time to dry out.
Empty Rain Barrels
If you collect rainwater in rain barrels to use for watering plants and flowers, and you should, then this is the time to drain it completely. Before the first frost, you want to discard the water, clean the barrel and remove the pipes to prevent it from getting damaged from the water freezing.
Bring in Herbs, Fruits, and Vegetables in Potted Containers
If you have plants that provide herbs, fruits, and vegetables that are not cold hardy or perennials, it is best to bring these plants indoors before the first frost. Some vegetables are fall plants and these are fine to leave out, but the ones that are not can be killed by the frost and therefore need to be indoors.
Remove Mulch
While mulch is great for your trees, shrubs, and plants in the summer, in the fall you want to remove it. This will help prevent mould and mildew from growing on the stems and trunks. The mulch is designed for trapping moisture, however, you don’t want this over the fall and winter.
Check Trees for Branches
You want to look at trees and see if there are rotting branches. It is much easier to remove branches that run the risk of breaking off and causing damage or should not be on the tree in the fall than it is in the spring when the leaves are in full bloom.
Trim Shrubs and Bushes
Some trees and shrubs should be trimmed in the fall because it needs new growth in order to bloom. Other plants bloom on old growth which means you do not want to trim them. This varies from species to species. If your bushes, shrubs, and trees need new growth to bloom, the time to trim them is in the fall, so that the new growth in the spring lets it bloom.
Spending time in the garden now can help you save money on buying new plants that might have died over the winter. It will also make it easier, with less work, in the spring to prepare your garden ready and thriving.
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