The hot days of summer are behind us and I’ve even rested from the fatigue that a long and productive summer of gardening can bring on. The fall days are often filled with soft sunlight, but rain, cold, and even early frosts are nipping at our heels. Warm fall colors blanket the ground as deciduous trees shed their leaves, and some persistent flowers like dahlias, marigolds, bee balm, and zinnias continue to light up the garden and bring us joy. The following are some timely chores to clean the garden, prepare the soil, and suggestions on what can be planted.
Sow – Just because summer is over doesn’t mean there’s nothing to plant! Just today I planted garlic bulbs from my harvest in July, and at this rate I don’t think I’ll ever run out of fresh garlic again. Beans and peas can still be planted from seed, as well as lettuces, spinach, and arugula. These may all benefit from being started indoors, but the soil is still warm enough in October for germination (here in Pennsylvania, zone 7a).
Prune – October is the earliest I would start pruning brambles like raspberries and blackberries. Roses, viburnum, and other shrubs can be cut back also. There’s plenty of videos and guides out there about pruning, but my best advice is to research each plant (from a reliable source such as a university or your state’s Extension program) because the technique and goal varies by plant. I like to learn by firsthand experience and observation—read the book, look at the photos, and go try it out. Sometimes I’ll watch videos of people doing it but there’s no substitute for experience, so go out and make some mistakes. Last year I cut the wrong stems on my fall-bearing raspberries and I got a weak harvest. Guess what I’ll never do again?
Protect – Whether sowing seeds outdoors or transplanting them outside, a row cover proves invaluable as a tool to retain heat and protect plants from biting winds. Row covers can be as cheap or expensive as you desire, but the idea is the same—agricultural fabric will cover your plants, raising the temperature a few degrees and keeping the winds at bay. Speaking of cold winds and freezing soils, I have plenty of potted houseplants that need to come inside after soaking up a full summer’s sun. Potted plants will freeze much quicker because of a lack of insulation. Terra cotta pots will crack as the absorbed moisture expands as it freezes, and plastic pots will not only crack, but retain ice and cold water that will kill the roots.
Regenerate – As gardeners we are always thinking ahead; what we do today benefits us next season and beyond. The fall, and October in particular before the ground freezes, is the perfect time to lay a new thick layer of compost and mulch on top of our garden beds that will feed our plants in the spring. A garden is only as good as the soil. A healthy, living soil is teeming with organic life, nutrients, fungi, bacteria, etc. Look up the soil food web if you want to dive deeper.
