Fall: The "Other" Gardening Season

Image Courtesy of Art Today

Fall: The "Other" Gardening Season

Although gardeners in the southern Great Lakes region look eagerly to the beginning of the gardening year each spring, we often don't realize that the other gardening season, fall, can be just as busy and rewarding for those who garden in the colder areas of the country as well. Granted, there isn't the feeling of anticipation that one gets early in the season, but there is a certain pleasure and satisfaction that comes from gardening with the return of cooler temperatures and temperate days. There is much to do now, so the wise gardener takes advantage of the fall months to prepare yard and garden for the coming winter months.

Fall is a great time to assess the performance of various gardens and borders. Look around and make notes of what did well, what needs to be moved, and what failed. Often our memories get a little bit fuzzy a few months down the road when we try to recall how the garden looked and how various plants performed. Keep a notebook handy and walk around the yard, jot down some notes. Take a few photos and add them next to your comments. This is very helpful when ordering plants in the late winter and early spring. You will have a clearer picture of how the yard and garden performed and you can save money and other potential problems for the next growing season by knowing what did or did not do well the previous year.

If you don't want them to return, be ruthless about grubbing out every weed! Perennial weeds will just grow deeper and will be harder to remove next spring. Both annual and perennial weeds will be setting seeds, so get them out before they spread their progeny around!

Now is the time to plant all those wonderful bulbs that help to make spring so joyous. Tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, grape hyacinths, and alliums are only a few bulbs that should be planted in the fall. These require a long season of pre-chilling, so get them in before the ground freezes. Work in some bone meal or a good organic bulb food when planting them. Not only will they provide a stunning display in the spring, it is great fun to walk around the yard in late winter to look for the shoots of daffodils, tulips, and other bulbs nosing their way out of the ground in anticipation of spring.

If you would like to get a head start on next year, fall is the ideal time to have soil testing done. You can adjust soil pH, which does require about 4 to 6 months to stabilize, just in time for the coming spring. Soil amendments can be added now as well.

You do fall cleaning on the inside, now it is time to do the same on the outside. Remove spent annuals, trim back perennials, and place the cuttings on the compost pile. Compost will still keep working until well into the winter, and if the winter is a mild one, the compost heap can remain active into next spring. If plants are infested with insects or are diseased, don't add them to your compost! Bag them off in the trash.

An easy way to "rake" is to mow over leaves and catch them in the mower bag. Shredded leaves can be incorporated into the soil, mixed with mulch, or added to the compost pile. Leaves are Ma Nature's gift, so use them wisely!

Speaking of leaves, it is a great time of the year to visit public gardens, parks, and even nurseries to see the foliage colors of different species and cultivars of trees and shrubs. This is a definite help when choosing ornamentals for their fall color display.

Fall is a good time for those of us who garden in our region to plant many perennials, trees and shrubs. If in doubt, ask a nurseryman or your county extension agent. There are a few plants that do better in the spring, but a majority of plants will do well when planted in the fall. Keep them watered, mulch them, and wrap trunks of newly planted trees to prevent rabbit and rodent damage and sunscald in the winter.

Early fall is a wonderful time to repair and rejuvenate lawns. Overseeding, dethatching, fertilizing, and areation can all be done early in the season. Grasses will grow with plenty of time to establish a root system before winter dormancy sets in.

Drag out that snowblower and check to make sure it is tuned-up and ready to go, in case our typical snows become a prominent feature of our winter weather this year. If you take it in to the small engine repair shops now, you won't have to wait for repairs. Ditto for lawnmowers and other small power equipment. After the last mowing of the year, drain mowers or add a fixative to the fuel. Remove spark plugs, change oil and filters, and sharpen blades. Your mower will be good to go in the spring!

Start adding winter protection to various plants. Build windbreaks for rhododendrons and other plants and ornamentals that resent wind and weather. Add mulch to flower beds, and as it gets closer to winter, mulch around tender roses, hydrangeas, and other deciduous plants after the ground freezes.

Check faucets for leaks and have them repaired. Leaking faucets can cost money on the water bill, it is a waste of a valuable resource, and if faucets freeze in the cold, you might have a lot more damage to contend with later on.

Take advantage of end-of-season sales for plants and gardening equipment, including new hoses. This might be a good year to buy some of those flat hoses that roll up and save space when not in use!

Start thinking about Christmas around Halloween. I know it isn't exactly a "gardening" chore, but putting up the outdoor lighting display is much easier to do while the weather is moderate than when a cold, drizzly and windy day arrives around Thanksgiving. Not only will it be easier to do while it is still relatively warm outside, it will mean one less holiday-related chore you will have to tackle later on.

Also dig your hole for live, contanerized Christmas trees in the fall. Save the soil in a warm place where it won't freeze, fill the hole with leaves, and place a board over the top to prevent someone from tripping into the hole. After Christmas, you can plant your live tree without having to use a pick and axe to dig the hole from the frozen ground!

Yes, fall is a busy gardening season, indeed! Take advantage of the "other" gardening season, and be one-up on the following year, as well!