Fall garden is a good reason to be outside.The temperatures are perfect and the colors are amazing.. If you’re looking for projects which will extend the gardening season, there’s still plenty to do. Now it is the perfect time for aerating your lawn, testing your soil and fall planting trees, shrubs or bulbs. And,
Here’s a checklist to get you started.
* Take special care of roses. Begin by clearing debris from the base of the bushes—fallen leaves may hold diseases. In early fall, suspend fertilization. Continuing to fertilize causes new growth that could be killed by winter’s cold. After foliage drops, spray with fungicide, then cover plants with a minimum of 8″ of loose, well-drained soil, mulch or compost. Prune canes back to 36″ to prevent damage from winter winds.
* Water your plants well. All of your plants—especially your trees—will need moisture to survive the winter months, so make sure to thoroughly soak the soil.
• Prepare your soil for next year’s planting (and what’s left to plant this year) by tilling and adding fertilizer.
* Plant shrubs and evergreens.. It has been proven that plants that have been planted in the fall have almost a full growing season advantage over plants that are planted during the next spring. Keep in mind, even though the temperature might get cold, the roots of your plants will continue to grow. So even if the top of a plant may be dormant, the roots aren’t. Fall is a great time for plants to form good feeder-root systems, because they aren’t exposed to the stress of high temperatures and drought.
• Avoid pruning spring flowering shrubs, as they may have already set their buds for next year.
• Transplant and divide perennials. This is a good move, particularly if your plant has been in the same location for several years. Water plants before dividing and mulch after replanting.
• Dig up herbs and put them in pots so you can grow them indoors during the winter.
* Prune dead or diseased branches from trees and shrubs.
Now some words about fall vegetable gardening. Fall vegetable crops are categorized as long-term and short- term crops. Duration of these crops is dependent upon when the first killing frost occurs and the cold tolerance of the vegetables.
Plant long-term, frost-tolerant vegetables together. Frost- tolerant vegetables include beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, collards, garlic, kale, lettuce, mustard, onions, parsley, spinach and turnips.
Add garden color by planting fall flowers: mums, asters, pansies, ornamental kale and cabbage, Russian sage, dianthus, black-eyed Susan, anemones and blue mist spirea. A hay bale or two and some pumpkins and gourds will round out a beautiful fall garden.
Want to know more about fall gardening? Post a question or a comment below, please. And,
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Yours truly for a great garden with berries,veggies and flowers.
Polly-organic gardener
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