Lots of people have their lawns and
their trees, and aside from raking in the fall and maybe winterizing
their lawns [link] there isn’t too much yardwork, even in the fall.
But if you like to garden, plant, prune, harvest and weed, there’s
a lot of work to be done in the fall before you oil your tools and
put them away for the winter.
Let’s look at the most common
gardener’s chores
Putting the Vegetable Garden to Bed
The last of summer’s bounty has been
eaten or stored away. But what do you do with the desiccated stems
and leaves that bore your crop of squashes, potatoes, and corn?
Likely, you already have a compost pile. But don’t add them to it
right away! If you have any compost that’s ready to go, you’ll
want to take it out first so that you can top-dress your beds. Then
you can add all the leftover plant matter from your garden. Don’t
leave it there, or you can harbor disease in your soil.
Once you’ve cleared the plant
material away, and added the compost, you may want to check the pH of
your soil. If it’s too acidic, add lime. If too alkaline, add
sulphur. You will want to do this in the fall because it will take
several months to take effect. The spring will be too late!
Some people do not till in the autumn,
since some experts say excessive tilling damages the structure of the
soil, hastening erosion. However, you need to turn the compost (and
lime or sulphur) under, and I would suggest that planting a winter
cover crop like annual clover will build the soil and prevent
erosion. The benefits of putting in a cover crop in the winter far
outweigh the damage of the tilling.
Cleaning out Perennial Beds
Perennial beds are the ultimate in easy
care. Simply clean out the dead plant matter, and lay down mulch.
There is one argument against this; if you want to encourage the
overwintering of certain insects, it’s best to leave the spent
plants standing, as many types of insects hibernate in the hollow
stems or amongst the leaf litter.
If this is the case, do not mulch,
either. Simply leave the plant material as it is. It will form its
own makeshift mulch and you can remove it in the spring and mulch it
then.
Cleaning out Annual Beds
Annual beds are everblooming, ever
cheerful. Luckily, Virginia’s winters are often mild enough that
some annuals even survive the winter. Autumn chrysanthemums can last
into January, and it doesn’t seem like anything can kill the hardy
pansy!
However, annual beds do need some care.
Since the constant rotation of blooms wears out the soil, be sure to
compost generously, or even add a slow-release fertilizer if you
like. Cleaning up any debris and adding a nice layer of mulch will
help your little flowers shake off the cold and snow.
These autumn chores will keep you busy
during the gorgeous fall weekends, but that’s just what a gardener
loves, isn’t it? A good excuse to be out in the garden.
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