The Essential Fall Gardening Guide

As summer fades and days grow shorter in the western hemisphere, it's time to prepare gardens and landscaping for the changing season. Many folks believe “gardening season” only lasts from March through the end of August, but there’s another season of gardening unrealized by many—Autumn!

Just because there is a chill in the air doesn’t mean you need to put a halt to one of your favorite pastimes. Fall brings a unique set of tasks that will allow you to reap the culinary and aesthetic rewards in the coming months and sets the stage for a stronger comeback in the spring.

11 Tips To Help Elevate Fall Gardens Now And Emerge Stronger In The Spring

Clean Up for New Growth:
Clear out the old to make space for vibrant new life in your garden.

One of the most important steps in fall gardening is a thorough fall cleanup. Removing dead plants, debris, and weeds from your garden beds is an essential step to creating a clean and healthy environment for new growth. By clearing out the remnants of the previous season, you make space for fresh beginnings and ensure that your garden beds are ready to receive the benefits of the upcoming changes. When it comes to raking leaves, though, you might want to reserve some to use as an insulation for tender plants, shred them and till them into the soil to add carbon and other nutrients, or use them as dry matter in your compost pile to help balance nitrogen.

Add Mulch for Winter Shield:
Wrap your garden in warmth by adding a thick layer of mulch to protect it from the winter chill.

As temperatures drop and frost begins to settle in, your garden needs a cozy blanket of protection to weather the colder months. This is where mulching comes into play. As we already mentioned, fallen leaves can make for a good insulation, but if you don’t have enough, consider sourcing mulch elsewhere. Adding a generous layer of mulch to your garden beds acts as insulation for cold-hearty plants and safeguards the soil and plant roots from the harsh winter conditions. It also helps retain moisture, prevents weed growth, and adds valuable nutrients to the soil as it decomposes over time. Think of mulching as a warm embrace for your garden, providing the care it needs to emerge strong and vibrant when spring arrives.

Soil Enrichment with Cover Crops:
Enhance your garden's soil health and aesthetics with cover crops that replenish nutrients.

After providing fruits, vegetables, and beautiful blooms all summer long, your soil is probably pretty well depleted of essential nutrients. Fall is a perfect opportunity to give back to your garden. There is a large variety of cover crops to choose from—clover, peas, and buckwheat, fava beans, ryegrass, oats, hairy vetch, certain brassicas, and more. These plants are densely sown to cover and protect the soil during the fall and winter, preventing erosion, reducing weed growth, and fixing nitrogen in the soil. When they are turned into the soil, they provide a natural source of organic matter and nutrients, enhancing the soil and preparing it for a bountiful spring planting season. Each plays a crucial role in soil enrichment, adding biomass and organic matter, and providing a layer of protection from natural weather conditions that might otherwise be detrimental to bare ground.

The benefits of planting cover crops don’t end with what they add to the soil. It’s also important to note what they keep out of the soil—garden pests and disease. Many garden pests will spend their winters under the surface where the plantings they were munching on in the previous garden season. Left to their own devices, they will emerge in the spring or summer, ready and waiting for you to begin battle again. Planting cover crops breaks up the pest cycles and encourages more natural predation. Just as pests will remain waiting in the soil, so will disease. Crop rotation has been used for centuries to improve microbial diversity which has been found to increase nutritional competition with plant pathogens and interfere with their ability to grow and develop. 

Sculpting Tomorrow's Garden: Shape your garden's future by gently pruning, preparing plants for a flourishing spring..

A well-pruned garden is a work of art, and while fall isn’t the time to go crazy with the garden shears, your plants will benefit from some gentle pruning. Extensive sculpting is best left for winter or early spring because open wounds could be detrimental to a plant in the cold months. Fall pruning is merely about removing dead or diseased plant matter so your garden perennials, shrubs, and trees can direct their energy where they need it most. Not only will this make for a less-involved spring clean-up, but it will also encourage long-term plant vitality.

Enjoy Your Garden's Bounty:
Gather end-of-season crops and learn preservation methods to make the most of your harvest.

As autumn's hues begin to paint the landscape, it’s time to harvest the last of the summer bounty. Harvesting end-of-season crops like tomatoes, peppers, and squash is not only satisfying but also crucial to prevent spoilage. To maximize the enjoyment of your garden's bounty, consider exploring different preservation methods such as canning, freezing, or drying. These techniques allow you to savor the flavors of your garden even when the frost is on the ground. Whether it's enjoying homegrown produce during the colder months or sharing your preserved goods with friends and family, your fall harvest is a testament to your gardening skills and dedication.

The Great Root Vegetable Debate:
Explore the options of harvesting and storing root vegetables or letting them sweeten in the ground.

Unlike many other vegetables that are ready for harvest at this time of the year, root vegetables aren’t at dire risk of spoilage. These hearty veggies hold a special place in the fall garden. The urgency to pull them from the ground is far less than that of tomatoes, peppers, and the like, and in many planting zones, there is an added storage option beyond the root cellar. A bit of strategic decision-making can actually enhance their flavor and longevity. If you leave in an area without excessive freezes, many root vegetables can actually be left in the ground deep into the fall, or even through the winter.. Carrots, beets, turnips, rutabagas, potatoes, and other root vegetables develop sweeter flavors because when exposed to low temperatures, their starches are converted to sugars. However, if you're in an area with harsh winters, that frequently drop well below freezing, harvesting will be your best bet for enjoying your harvest through the winter.

 

Divide and Conquer Your Perennial Garden:
Multiply the beauty of your garden by dividing perennials and introducing new bulbs.

Perennial plants are the backbone of any aesthetic garden and there’s no better time than fall to promote their health and expansion. Dividing perennials not only prevents overcrowding but also rejuvenates the plants, encouraging vigorous growth and more blooms come spring and summer. It’s also a great time to introduce new bulbs to your garden beds. Planting bulbs in the fall allows them to establish roots before the winter freeze, ensuring a spectacular burst of color in the spring. By dividing and conquering your garden space, you're investing in a future full of floral splendor.

Defend Delicate Plants From Frost:
Shield vulnerable plants from frost damage using burlap or blankets.

The arrival of frost can spell trouble for delicate plants, plants that you could otherwise be enjoying well into late fall and even through the winter in many zones—plants like lettuces, brassicas, and many herbs. With a little preparation, you can protect your garden's treasures, shielding fthem from succumbing to freezing temperatures.

Use materials like burlap or old blankets to create a protective barrier that traps heat and insulates the plants. Wrapping your plants before the frost sets in provides a buffer against the cold, allowing them to endure the winter with minimal harm. By offering this winter defense, you're safeguarding the beauty of your garden, extending your harvest season, and setting the stage for a lush and thriving spring.

Fall Prep and Garden Planning:
Look beyond the garden beds as you prepare for the next season—take notes, store tools, save seeds, and map out your spring garden.

While fall may signal the end of the highest-yielding growing season, it's also the perfect time to lay the groundwork for a successful spring. While some crops can still be planted and enjoyed during the colder months, there are essential tasks to undertake as you transition the bulk of your gardens into dormancy.

Take this opportunity to jot down notes about what worked well and what could be improved during the previous season. What will you do differently next year? Clean and properly store your gardening tools to ensure they're in top shape for next year and aren’t subject to rust in the off season. Save seeds from your favorite plants for future planting, by drying them, labeling, and storing in a cool and dry place. The most fun part—start planning out your spring garden layout, employing crop rotation tactics. By thinking ahead and putting in a little extra effort now, you'll set yourself up for a flourishing garden when the warmer days return.

Supercharge Your Plants with Autumn Fertilizing: 
Unveil the Secret to Lush Growth and Spring Vitality

As the cool air sets in, your plants will benefit greatly from a nutritional boost to ensure they maintain strength through the winter and emerge vibrant in the spring. As is the case with most gardening tactics, strategy is key. Instead of dumping the same generic fertilizer on all of your plants at the same time, give them what they need, when they need it. For perennial plants, early fall is the optimal time for applying a balanced fertilizer with plenty of phosphorus and potassium, which will provide essential nutrients to strengthen their root systems and allow them to store energy to get them through the winter. It's best to wait a little longer for trees and shrubs, with late fall being the key timeframe for additional nutrients, to prepare them for dormancy. Using a slow-release, high-nitrogen fertilizer will support their longevity and ensure a vigorous return in the spring. For those of you already using Root Quencher's deep watering system for your shrubs and trees, you can opt for a liquid fertilizer or compost tea (in place of a slow-release fertilizer) and add it occasionally throughout the season for even better results. 

Don’t Fail To Quench Your Plant's Winter Thirst:
Though they need less of it, plants do need water during winter.

During the colder months, as the temperatures drop, plants will require less water. However, the need for consistent hydration remains crucial even in this seemingly dormant period. While plants may experience reduced growth and metabolic activity during winter, their root systems continue to function, absorbing nutrients and water from the soil. Water serves as a vital conduit for nutrient uptake and metabolic processes, helping plants to maintain their overall health.

Watering in the winter isn’t as straightforward as it is in other seasons, though. The risk of freezing means that one has to be very cautious about when and how they water. If temperatures often drop below freezing at night, watering mid-day might be best to ensure the water doesn’t freeze on the surface. Your best option is to water from beneath the surface, where temperatures don’t fluctuate as much.

Watering at the roots offers several advantages compared to overhead watering. This approach enables water to reach the plant's root zone directly, where it can be absorbed efficiently. Unlike surface watering, which may evaporate quickly or freeze on the leaves, trunks, and stems of plants, watering at the root level helps prevent moisture loss to external conditions and keeps the plant from being subjected to harm.This method could also minimize the risk of fungal diseases that can thrive in cold, damp conditions. By watering at the root level, you provide plants with a steady supply of moisture, ensuring their resilience throughout the colder months and promoting a healthier resurgence when the weather begins to warm up.