Fall is in the air. I love the changing of the leaves, colder weather, and apple picking. The downside is cleaning up the garden after the growing season. It is a hassle, but fall clean-up is a necessity.
I’m not OCD about a lot of things. However, when it comes to my gardens, I unfortunately am. Gardeners debate whether to clean out their gardens in the fall or spring. I honestly like to do both.
But why?
Why can’t you leave your garden and let nature take its course? Because if you don’t:
Then, pests, weed seeds, and diseases will overtake your garden. Trust me, that will be a pain in the buns come spring.
When do you start your fall cleanup?
If you believe it doesn’t matter when you should start your fall cleanup, it does.
You should clean up your yarn or garden after the first frost in your region. Why?
If you aren’t sure when your frost date is, it’s okay. The Farmer’s Almanac can help you with that.
When you get to the page, enter your zip code. It will show you when your first fall frost will clean out your garden for winter. I used my zip code as an example.
What 5 Best Practices for Fall Cleanup
1. Harvest Your Crops
Harvesting your crops doesn’t have to be only a fall-related thing. Depending on what you have grown, you can gather flowers, herbs, or vegetables you have grown throughout the season. A tip for you is to ensure you harvest your crops when they are at their ripest. If you don’t, your crops will be prone to diseases and pests. That’s a headache you don’t need. If you are a beginner gardener or don’t know when to harvest your plants, there are usually instructions on the back of your seed packet.
Below is an example of a seed packet I have in my cache of seeds. It will show you how to grow sweet basil, the details of plant harvesting, and the number of days to maturity.
If you didn’t sow seeds but only sprigs or plants, go to the company’s website where you got the plants to see about the harvest date. You can also ask the florist from the place where you bought your plants.
Another way to mark your harvest time is to keep a gardening journal, mark when you planted the seeds, and count the approximate harvest time on your seed packet.
2. Weed out Your Garden
You don’t have to wait until the last second to weed out your garden for fall cleanup—as long as you can do so before winter hits. Before doing your fall cleanup weed session, wait until at least a few days of frost for your annual plants to die.
3. Mulch your Plant bottoms
There are a couple of reasons to mulch those plants in the fall.
- Mulch your plants near the soil to ensure they are warm during the winter and absorb the extreme weather so the ground’s
- Fewer weeds for you in the spring
- Mulch gives nutrients during the winter
- Brownie points: Mulch will also make your garden look nice.
4. Clean and sharpen Your Garden Equipment
It’s always good to clean your garden equipment before the next growing season. You never know what was in your garden or on your equipment. Soap and water are always a great idea. Some gardeners might opt for bleach or vinegar when cleaning your tools.
Sharpening equipment like your pruning shears or your mower’s blades is also an excellent idea. If you sharpen your tools in the fall, it’s a load off your mind, and you can focus on what you want to plant and other gardening needs you have for the spring.
5. Rake Leaves
Raking your leaves is a common practice when you think of autumn. Your lawn will suffer if you don’t rake it. Now, you don’t have to rake every leaf of your property. It’s good to leave some of your leaves on your grasses for beneficial insects like bees to hibernate and fertilize your grass in the winter. However, if you don’t rake it at all, then the issues will start, such as:
- Fungal issues on your lawn
- Leaves are a hazard to klutzy people like me and make someone slip.
- Your lawn won’t get the sunlight and oxygen it needs
My final thought on raking leaves is to put them in the compost bin if there aren’t any diseased leaves in the pile. The leaves are a “brown” source, which helps your compost piles get more air and create better compost. Plus, as a bonus, you don’t have to put them in trash bags and see them as waste. Why would you put them in a landfill when you can help the environment and your garden instead? You can help the lifecycle of plants by creating healthy soil and plants.
To Conclude:
There are other things to clean up during fall or prepare for winter. Of course, based on what you have in your garden or your yard, there are some other things you should do, like:
- Wrap your trees or rose bushes from winter damage and insects wanting a snack
- Plant your spring perennials like tulips
- Prune your trees, bushes, and vines after the first frost and when your leaves fall off
- Provide grass seeds to your lawn
- If you don’t mulch your plants, put a layer of fertilizer or compost from your compost pile to provide nutrients.
I hope you had an excellent growing season and that these fall cleanup tips will help you in your effort to maintain a successful and healthy garden.
Happy Gardening, lovelies!!
