By Stacy Risenmay | @stacyrisenmay
With its cooler tempuratures and crisp fresh air, fall is the perfect time to do yardwork! Which is nice since there a quite a few essential chores that need to be done to winterize your garden and yard. Here are 15 fall chores you should do to ensure a successful spring!
Plant
Did you know that fall is the perfect time to plant new perennials, bushes, and trees? Autumn time is when plants are takin gup nutrients and focusing on strong root systems. So if you plant in the fall instead of waiting until the next spring, you are giving your plants a head start.
Fall Bulbs
Speaking of planting, now is the time to get those fall bulbs in the ground. There are spring planted bulbs (like dahlias and canna lilies) and there are fall planted bulbs (like daffodils and tulips). Plant your fall bulbs before the ground freezes and the soil is no longer workable. And if you run out of time before that happens, you can always plant them in containers!
Weed
Take care of any weeds you might have missed over summer. Just like those perennials, bushes, and trees you planted this fall, weeds are also focused on root growth. They will be a bigger problem if you leave them until spring. And if they go to seed, they will multiply like crazy. So while you are probably tired of weeding after doing it all summer, it will help with next year's weed control if you do it now.
Protect Tender Perennials
I grow some things in my yard that are usually treated like an annual in my zone. But if I do a few things to winterize them properly, they can survive and come back in the spring. In the past I have covered them with about 12" of leaves and then put on a tarp. This year I am trying something different. I created an inexpensive low tunnel to cover these Billy Ball flowers. One of the reasons I love gardening is because its one big experiment! I am excited to see how this works.
Sprinklers & Hoses
To prevent damage from freezing and expanding pipes, make sure to turn off your irrigation water valve and blow out your sprinklers. Also remove hoses from exterior spigots and put them away for the winter. You can also cover your spigots to protect them if you live where it gets really cold in the winter.
Water Features
Going along those same lines, you'll want to drain and clean any water features you have. We have this fountain and by fall, the water is kind of gross anyway, so we clean it out and cover it for the winter with plastic. Then it is all ready to go come the spring!
Harvest Your Garden
I am sure you have been harvesting from your vegetable garden all through the growing season but now is the time to collect everything that is left. The last couple of things that I pull out of the garden are winter squash and carrots.
Carrots are actually sweeter if they stay in the ground after the first frost. The colder weather triggers the carrot to turn the starches into sugars resulting in a sweeter and crispier veggie.
Clear Out the Garden
Pull out all the dead plants from your garden. Especially if you have battled things like squash bugs and any diseases. You don't want those things overwintering in your garden. You can add any pest and disease free plants to your compost pile.
Test Your Soil
Gather soil samples and send them off to get tested. I send my soil to my local university's extension offices. Look up online where the closest place to you is that offers soil testing. It is not expensive and is one of the best things you can do for your garden. The results will tell you what nutrients your soil is lacking and what (if any) you have too much of. This helps you know what fertilizers and amendments you need for optimum soil health.
Prep Your Soil
Once the garden is all cleared out it is time to prepare your soil for spring! More than likely, your soil will be somewhat compacted. Fall is the best time to loosen it up. Whether you use a tiller or a broad fork like I use, go over the whole garden.
After the soil has been worked over, add some organic matter. This year I chose to throw down some alfalfa pellets for a nitrogen boost. I filled that with some mulched up leaves. Mulching the leaves helps them break down faster over the winter.
Skip the Pruning (With Some Exceptions)
Most things are better left alone in the fall when it comes to pruning. This is because pruning triggers the plant to put on new growth. So most things get a heavy pruning in late winter into early spring. But if you have diseased or damaged branches, you can trim those off.
And if your roses suddenly grow really long canes in the fall, you can trim those back so they don't break under the weight of the snow or because of wind.
Flower Bed Clean Up
I actually don't do a whole lot of clean up in my beds. I will cut back any diseased plants, but I leave everything else, including any leaves that have fallen. Beneficial insects are known to overwinter in the leaf litter and in stems of perennial plants. So I wait until things warm up in the spring to clear out debris.
Protect Young Trees
Young trees are more susceptible to sun salad and need to be wrapped in white tree wrap. Sun scald happens in the winter due to drastic tempurature changes and causes pernamnet damage to the bark. It doesn't take very long to quickly wrap them up for winter.
Water
If you are experiencing a warmer than usual fall or a drier one, you may need to water your plants. Just because plants go dormant in the winter doesn't mean they don't need any water at all. Because of irrigation systems being shut off for the season, you will need to hand water them.
Clean & Sharpen Tools
Once all your fall chores are done, you should clean and sharpen all your garden tools like pruners, clippers, lawn mower blades, and shovels. Cleaning them will help them not to rust over the winter and they will be all ready for you once spring comes.
I hope you enjoy your time out in your yard getting it all ready for winter! Doing these fall chores will help you have a more successful spring!
