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Fall Garden Tips and To-Do’s
While there are still some mild days to enjoy, spend a little time on these fun fall activities and crucial to-do’s for next year’s garden.
Plant for Spring Color
The earliest pops of color in the spring garden are bulbs and corms that should be planted in the fall. From mid-September through October is typically a good time to plant tulips, crocus, daffodils and your other favorite early bloomers.
Vegetable Garden
It’s especially important in veggie gardens to avoid overwintering pests and diseases. Remove all plant material from annuals after they have died back or stopped producing. Level the soil in these areas and take a soil sample if you want to do a soil test before planting next year. Root crops like carrots and turnips can be left in the ground for months to come and harvested as needed. Remove all mature weeds, and mulch over any bare soil. Next year’s garlic crop can still be planted through early October!
Perennial Landscapes
Herbaceous perennials will completely die back each winter. Remove dead foliage from these plants, but wait until after a couple hard freezes. Remember, if the leaves are still green, the plant is still photosynthesizing.
Plants with sturdier or woody stems can be left up through the winter, which will help insulate the plant, provide structural interest, and provide habitat for wildlife. Seeds from grasses and flowers are an especially good winter food source for birds. Mulch is also crucial to protect perennials from winter drying.
Save and Store Seeds
Did you have favorite plants in the vegetable garden or home landscape this year? Become an amateur plant breeder by saving seeds from this season’s most successful plants to sow again next season.
Wrap Sensitive Trees
Young or thin-barked trees like ginkgo, fruit trees, maple and linden can suffer from sunscald or frost cracks. Wrap these sensitive trees in mid-November, and don’t forget to remove the wrap in mid-April.
Winterize Sprinkler Systems
Whether you DIY or hire out this task, draining your irrigation system is a must to avoid water freezing in the system. Water left in pipes over the winter can freeze, damaging your irrigation system and leading to costly repairs next season.
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