Fall garden chores are an important step in closing out the growing season and setting your garden up for success next year. Tackling these tasks now means healthier soil, fewer pests and weeds, and less work when spring planting arrives. Here are five simple chores to keep your garden in top shape this fall.
1. Tidy Up Garden Beds
If you’re not growing cool-weather crops for the fall, now’s the time to clean up any plant debris left behind from your summer plantings. Removing this organic material will help reduce the incidence of future disease and pests. If you had issues with plant diseases during the growing season, do not compost any of the affected plant remains, as most domestic composters never get near the 130 or 140°F needed to destroy many of these plant pathogens.
2. Get Ahead on Weeding
A good weeding in and around the garden at the end of the year will help prevent some weeds from overwintering and will destroy some important habitats for many insect pests. Also, if your garden plot is in your formal yard, now is the time to edge your garden plot to stop the gradual encroachment of grasses.
3. Check and Improve Soil Health
Testing your soil this time of year means you’ll be able to amend it well before the spring planting season. Testing is as simple as contacting your local extension agent to get a sample bag or box and then following the instructions to submit your soil sample. In the same vein as soil testing, this is also the time of year to add compost and other organic materials to enrich your garden soil.
4. Update Your Garden Journal After Your Fall Garden Chores
If you tried and failed to keep or update your garden journal during the spring and summer months, now is a great time to jot down a few general notes about any successes or failures you faced, favorite cultivars to grow again next year, a simple sketch map of plantings to help with crop rotation, and any other observations regarding the soil conditions, diseases and pests.
5. Care for Tools and Equipment
Finally, clean and lightly oil your tools after you have finished your fall chores. Store the clean tools in a dry environment off the ground. These simple steps will help protect your investment in good shovels, rakes, and hoes by preventing rust and corrosion.
Fall Garden Chores: Final Thoughts
Completing these fall garden chores now sets the stage for healthier soil, fewer pests, and stronger plants in the coming year. A little effort in autumn goes a long way toward ensuring a smooth start when spring planting arrives.
This article about fall garden chores was written for Hobby Farms magazine. Click here to subscribe.
