Fall Maintenance for Your Garden

Fall maintenance for your garden includes a number of simple tasks. These tasks set the stage for next year’s growing season and prepares your garden for the winter months.

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What Maintenance do I Need to do for My Garden in the Fall?

In general, maintenance for you garden during the fall includes cleaning up debris, cutting back perennials, adding mulch to garden beds, and winterizing your irrigation systems. However, there are several more tasks that can be completed to ensure your garden is prepared for winter months and next year’s growing season.

Clean Up Debris

As the weather starts to cool down and leaves begin to fall, it is important to give your garden the proper care it needs to thrive. Clean up debris around your garden beds by removing dead plants, leaves, and fallen branches from your garden beds. The removal of these items will help prevent the spread of diseases and pests through your garden and will prevent the suffocation of your lawn and plants that are still growing. A tidy garden space is ideal for the winter months ahead.

Pruning and Weeding

During the fall months, be sure to prune shrubs and trees. Trim any dead or damaged branches to promote healthy growth in the spring. Cut back perennials to just above the soil line (leaving about 2 inches of growth). This will help prevent winter damage and will encourage strong growth in the spring. Fall is also a good time to shape up any overgrown shrubs or trees as the cooler temperatures trigger dormancy in most shrubs.

Mulch and Cover Crops

In the fall months, mulch should be added to all garden beds and growing spaces. 4 to 6 inches of mulch is ideal to allow for insulation of soil and moisture protection. Mulch will also suppress weed growth. Good materials that can be used as mulch are wood chips, straw, dead leaves, or even cardboard shavings.

In addition, fall is a good time to plant cover crops or green manure crops. Cover crops are plants such as clover, winter wheat, or rye. These crops add nutrients back into the soil and aid in soil health, fertility and will help prevent soil erosion. Green manure crops or cover crops are not for harvesting and should be killed off before seeding. A pro gardener tip is to mix the dead cover crop plants back into the soil to allow them to compost over the winter months.

Clean and Store Garden Tools

In addition to cleaning up the garden spaces, be sure to clean and store garden tools. For garden tools with wood handles, apply oil to the wood to help preserve it and keep it from splintering. Store all tools in a dry place to prevent rusting and corrosion. For instance, a garden shed, garage, or covered garden area will work well for tool storage.

For larger lawn equipment like lawn mowers, tillers, tractors, and gas-powered lawn tools, be sure to make any repairs during the cooler months when they are used less often. Oil changes and hydraulics should be monitored to ensure proper function and mobility. Fall and winter are good times for repairs on larger equipment.

Water and Irrigation Systems Should be “Winterized”

Fall maintenance for zone 8 should include “winterizing” water systems. With weather changing and the unpredictability of frost, adding a layer of insulation to irrigation pipes and keeping an eye on weather forecasts will aid in protecting the water pipes. Burying irrigation pipes with a thick layer of mulch (6-10inches) or using tarps and winter cloth to cover the pipes will help with below freezing temperatures. In addition, water systems may be turned off and drained to protect your irrigation systems to prevent damage from freezing water.

Planting and Harvesting

Protect Tender Plants

For plants not suited to colder temperatures like citrus, protect them by bringing them indoors, or by wrapping them with winter cloth and insulating them with mulch ground cover. Small potted plants may easily be transported into a sunroom, garage, or covered porch area.

Plant Spring Bulbs and Fruit Tree Transplants

A key task in the fall is to plant spring bulbs like daffodils, tulips, and crocuses. Planting them in the fall will give them plenty of time to establish strong roots before the winter sets in.

In addition, fall is an excellent time for transplanting fruit trees or small trees in general. These trees will develop strong root systems in dormancy allowing for better leaf, fruit and branch development in the spring.

Seeds and Plants You Can Still Grow

In the early fall months, while the temperatures are still mild, you can still plant and harvest several vegetables. Below is a list of hardy fall crops perfect for Zone 8 Regions.

Lettuces
Beans (Broad, Bush, or Pole)
Beets
Carrots
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Cilantro
Dill
Garlic
Kale
Peas
Radishes

Harvesting

A key factor in fall maintenance is collecting the remaining harvest of your garden. Harvest these remaining crops and store them in a cool and dry place. Fall crops such as pumpkins, squash, and gourds can be kept in a dark cabinet or cellar. Onions can be dried, and stored hanging as can garlic. Fresh herbs may be dried or frozen as well. Leave some of the best crops on their plants to dry and go to seed. You can harvest the seeds for next year’s growing season.

Other Fall Maintenance for your Garden

Other maintenance for you fall garden is doing a full garden checkup and learning new things for the next season. Fix fences or rotting garden beds, add repairs to your greenhouse or tunnels, and turn your compost.

By completing all the maintenance needed for your fall garden, you will be taking important steps to care for your garden and ensure its success in the coming years. It is important to be proactive and to take the time to care for your fall garden before the cold winter months set in and it is too late.

Fall Maintenance for Your Garden – Zone 8