Fall Garden Clean-Up Tasks--Part II




Euonymus alatus  Burning Bush near Gold Pond (Photo by Jim Frazier

 

Don’t forget newly planted trees and shrubs!


Watering: We have had a very dry fall this year (so far!) and especially if your plantings were added this year you’ll want to keep them well hydrated. Think of this as a weekly garden task, at least until we start getting some rain. And none of that quick spritzing stuff either—you want to make sure that water is reaching into the root zones (and not running off) of these plantings. Keep this watering up through a hard frost (and that can be after Thanksgiving!).

Mulch ring: If you haven’t done so already, consider a nice sized mulch filled ring around the base of these plants—this helps retain moisture and keeps errant mowers and string trimmers away from delicate bark.

Pruning: You can safely remove any dead, diseased or damaged wood at this time. Wait for late winter to tackle any major pruning though.



Lawns love this weather!

Our turf in this area loves cool weather and hence is actively growing. You can lower the deck on your mower to a cutting height of 2 inches. But you might need to mow more often to stay ahead of leaves that are falling from your trees. Don’t let them pile up too heavily or they will mat down and do more harm than good. If you can stay ahead of the leaf build-up you can just mow them up along with the grass—otherwise it is best to rake them and add them to your compost pile. Great stuff! And, if you feed your lawn only once a year—this is the best time to do that.





Calendula 'Flashback'

 Miscellaneous Garden Chores

Keep up with any weeding that needs to be done; remove any diseased plants and toss into trash not the compost pile.

Don’t cut back: ornamental grasses—they give a nice vertical element to the landscape and give us something to look at during the winter season. Leave sunflower heads, asters, Echinacea, rudbeckia, solidago (goldenrod), and millet seed heads for the birds to scout for snacks.

Rest your amaryllis bulbs. Bring them into a frost free zone and let them dry down. You are mimicking a natural drought condition for them. Don’t water again until they start to show a bit of growth (usually February or March—but minimum of 8 weeks). Then bring them into a bright area of your home and water as needed—in a couple of weeks you’ll be graced with a lovely stalk of blooms.

Take a tour around the vegetable and herb garden—yeah, the one that is in your backyard. You’ve probably got a few hangers-on of a few things…onion, tomatoes, peppers…maybe an eggplant or zucchini or two, the last few leaves of basil or a handful of oregano… Fix your mind into cooking up a big pot of spaghetti sauce or chili and toss in a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Cook it down slowly for a few hours and you’ll be rewarded with a great smelling house and a smile on your face as your taste buds re-visit this past summer of gardening one spoonful at a time.

If your veggies are still going full throttle and you'd like to help them through a frost and eke out a few more days (who knows, maybe even weeks) of good weather...invest in some lightweight polyester garden fabric.  You might find it under the name of Remay.  "Float" the fabric over the sensitive planting. Batten down the ends with bricks or rocks, but don't forget to roll back the fabric during the day so your plants don't get too toasty underneath.

And the best tip of all—if you are planning to create a new garden bed….NOW is the time to do it! This is where all those extra leaves would be best put to use—tilled into the soil. And, pssst, …..don’t be too proud to go and scrounge some from your neighbors. In years past I had been known to trawl the neighborhood scouting for bags o’ leaves that were destined for the county leaf-picker-upper-day. Bring them over to your new bed and run a mower over them and then till into your new bed. If you don’t have a tiller you can do a bit of double-digging and throw them into the “ditch” that you create with each row. Your soil will be fabulous come spring and your plants will thank you with great growth and productivity.