Get Out There And Garden This Fall

Oct 08, 2015

By Candice Miller

If you're like me, by the time fall comes around, you're probably a little burnt out on gardening. It's totally reasonable, I get it. You've spent all summer maintaining and of course enjoying your garden, but you've just used up all your energy. But don't give up yet! There are lots of great fall gardening activities that can be completed and many of these will help prepare your garden for greater success next season.

Overwinter plant indoors: Think about trying to bring in some of your more tropical plants that wouldn't normally survive our winters. Some examples would include annuals like geraniums or purple fountain grass, or tropical plants like hibiscus or succulents. Learn more about overwintering here. Then of course there are the summer bulbs –cannas, dahlias, gladiolus, caladium, elephant ear. These need to be dug and stored in a cool area and replanted in the spring.

Prepare annual flower beds for the spring: Prepare beds for next year's annual planting by removing this season's plants once the first frost has hit. Think about incorporating compost, manure, or other organic materials to improve the soil. View the Gardening with Annuals site.

Prepare perennial beds for winter: Herbaceous perennials can either be cut back to the ground in the spring or in the fall. Consider removing in the fall to neaten the garden for winter. Leave any perennials or grasses with interesting seeds heads for winter interest and to provide food for winter wildlife. If any plants were disease or insect infested, remove all stems and foliage in the fall and remove from the garden.

Provide winter protection for trees and shrubs: Young, newly planted trees may need protection from winter wildlife damage. Consider wrapping stems or trunks with wire or commercial tree-guard products to protect against deer or other gnawing wildlife. If winter burn is common in your landscape, screen evergreens, particularly exposed broad-leaved types, from drying winter wind and sun by setting up burlap screens or shade cloth shelters. Learn more here.

Water evergreens: If rain is not prevalent this fall, be sure to water evergreens well going into winter. This may also help reduce winter burn for the season.

Fall pruning: Trees and shrubs can be pruned in the fall, but hold off on most pruning until plants are dormant. Before pruning consider the flowering time of the tree or shrub that is to be pruned to ensure that you have good flowering the next season. As a general rule, shrubs that flower before June 15 should be pruned immediately after flowering. Shrubs that bloom after June 15 can be pruned in early spring or late autumn before the new flower buds form.

Mulch: Fall is a great time to mulch. The goal of winter mulch is to keep plants dormant through the winter, so it can be applied after the ground is cold and plants are fully dormant. To prevent rodents from nesting in the soil, wait until the ground freezes before adding a 4-6 inch layer of organic material as winter mulch.

Fall garden cleanup: Rake up leaves and consider composting or working them into the garden soil. Shred leaves with the lawn mower to speed up the composting process. If they are added onto the garden, make sure to work them into the soil to speed up the decomposition process. As mentioned above, remove any leaves or plant parts that were diseased this season.

Fall Lawn Care: Fall is a great time for fertilizing and weed control. Learn more on our Lawn Talk website.

Plant Bulbs: Fall is the perfect time to plant spring flowering bulbs. For flowering to occur, bulbs need vernalization, a cold resting period. Winter provides this in Illinois. Ideal planting time is about 4 weeks before the ground freezes, which usually occurs around mid-October. This allows time for the bulbs to grow roots before winter comes.

Clean Your Tools: Before putting the tools back in the shed, clean them thoroughly to prevent disease spread. This can be achieved with hot soapy water or a 10% bleach solution. Be sure to dry off tools well before storage to prevent rust.

Plant fall container gardens: Select cool season annuals, perennials, grasses and accessories to create a beautiful fall container garden.

Plan for next year: Save seed from vegetables and flowers in your garden and store these seeds in a cool place like the refrigerator. Sketch out next year’s garden plan, making sure to rotate crops within the vegetable garden in particular. Flip through seed catalogs and dream of next year's garden!

Source: illinois.edu

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Carson, the 6th Gen Farmer, is a young farmer dedicated to promoting agriculture through funny and entertaining content. He is passionate about precision agriculture and implementing it into the family farm. Carson, along with his brother (Chris) and father (Ryan) carry on the family legacy in South Western Minnesota and explain the processes to educate farmers and consumers alike. If you like to watch and learn about John Deere, Farm equipment, precision agriculture, or the hilarious interactions between the family members on a daily basis 6th Gen Farmer is the place for you!