Preparing Your Yard for Autumn and Cold Seasons
Preparing Your Garden for Fall and Winter: A Comprehensive Guide
As the autumn season approaches, it's time to prepare your garden for the colder months ahead. Whether you're tending to vegetables, herbs, berries, perennials, trees, or shrubs, there are key strategies to ensure a healthy and thriving garden throughout the winter and into the spring.
Vegetable Gardens
Cool down and moisten the soil before planting fall crops such as arugula, carrots (especially storage types), beets, kale, broccoli raab, cabbage, and cauliflower. Sow cool-season crops like lettuce, spinach, carrots, beans, kale, peas for a fall harvest. Protect your crops from early frost with insulating fabric or hoops. Don't forget to harvest remaining warm-weather crops before frost and bring unripe tomatoes indoors to ripen. Consider planting garlic in the fall for an early spring harvest.
Herb Gardens
Plant cold-hardy herbs like sage, thyme, and rosemary, which often improve in flavour after frost. Harvest herbs before the first hard frost, and mulch herb beds to protect roots from temperature fluctuations. Some herbs can be brought indoors to overwinter.
Berry Gardens
Clean up fallen leaves and debris to reduce fungal diseases. Mulch around plants to protect roots from freeze-thaw cycles. Fertilize before winter to support root growth. Prune only if recommended for the specific berry type and if before dormancy.
Perennial Gardens
Plant perennials at least six weeks before a hard frost to allow root establishment. Mulch around crowns to protect from winter temperature swings. Cut back spent perennials but consider leaving some for winter interest or insect habitats. Fall-planted perennials typically develop stronger roots and bloom earlier next season.
Tree and Shrub Gardens
Fertilize trees and shrubs through August to promote growth before the cold weather sets in. Deep water newly planted or transplanted trees and shrubs 1-2 times per week depending on weather. Stake any top-heavy plants to prevent wind damage. Prune as appropriate before dormancy, avoiding late-season growth stimulation.
General Fall Garden Maintenance
Remove diseased plant material and clean garden beds. Plant cover crops such as winter rye, clover, or Austrian peas after harvesting summer vegetables to enrich and protect soil during winter. Keep weeding to prevent invasive species. Use mulch extensively to insulate soil and conserve moisture through winter. Harvest as much produce as possible before hard frost to maximize yield.
For specific plants, parsley is resistant to light frost but will require a cover-up on cold nights. Parsnips taste better when left to mature near freezing temperatures. Potatoes have to be dug and stored as soon as the cooler climate sets in. Rosemary is more fragile and will require shelter for the winter. Perennials will benefit from regular pruning. Blackberries benefit from protection and insulation as the cold season sets in. Most vegetables cannot survive the cold and require protection from frost.
Regular maintenance of young trees and small shrubs includes removing broken branches and unwanted debris. Chives are quite hardy but have to be dug up and planted in a pot for winter harvest. Tomato, squash, pea, beans, etc., cannot tolerate the cold at all. Empty outdoor containers before the winter season to prevent cracking. The fall season is the best time to protect a new flowerbed from emergent growth using landscape fabric or mulch.
Perennials and flowering shrubs should be watered deeply during the fall season. Covering vegetables with bedspreads, old sheets, and other protective row covers during the night can protect them from frost. Most perennials and flowering plants can withstand the cold climate. Dig and store parsnips before the ground freezes. Sage requires no coddling for the winter. Mulching perennials with a generous layer of straw, hay, peat moss, or leaves can protect them from the cold. Woody perennials should not be trimmed in the fall. Water shrubs and trees during the fall season, then stop once the soil freezes. Strawberries can be insulated and protected from hard frosts using hay or straws. Evergreens can be protected from browned needles and desiccation with burlap or plant cover-ups. Summer berries like raspberries require pruning during the mid-fall.
Use fallen leaves as mulch for perennial plants or add them to a compost pile. Kale, collards, and other greens turn sweeter when exposed to a light frost. Store metal buckets over a hook in a shed or garage and roll hoses neatly for storage. Frost-resistant greens like cabbages and Swiss chard can withstand light frost. Delicate greens, like lettuces, cannot withstand the frost and will need more protection from the cold. Before storing potatoes, dry them for two weeks in a dry, warm area away from direct sunlight. Mow the lawn late in the fall and remove fallen leaves, twigs, and garden debris before the winter.
These combined practices enhance garden health, protect plants through cold months, and prepare soil and plants for robust spring growth. With a little bit of preparation, you can ensure a successful garden season even in the chilliest of weather.
When preparing your garden for the fall and winter, don't forget to sow cool-season crops like lettuce, spinach, and carrots in your vegetable garden. In your herb garden, consider planting cold-hardy herbs such as sage, thyme, and rosemary.
