Fall Garden Prep Overview

Anatomy of Fall Garden Cleanup

NEXT YEARS SUMMER GARDEN PREP, DURING FALL SEASON
This is a perfect time to plan next year's garden. You can plan to do chores that otherwise would be contracted out. This is one of the best times to plan the vegetable & flower garden for next spring, to get the landscape the look you always wanted.

Fall Clean-up Garden Prep

6 TOP GARDEN CLEANUP STEPS YOU CAN START NOW

Fall Clean-up

1 PERENNIALS
This year it also the perfect time to expand the garden by dividing existing perennials–Hydrangeas, Hostas, Sage, Tulips, Pacysandra, Lillies, Orchids, Creeping Phlox to name a few. This much needed plant divisions can greatly improve the general health of the plants–more blooms with longer bloom cycles.

There are plenty of articles written on how to successfully expand your garden using this method. Also, plant to trim back your phlox and sage/lavender plants.
Fall Clean-up

2 LEAVES - LEAF GOLD!
Fallen leaves are a product of the natural living cycle–they are a part of the decomposing process. Once leave decompose, they breakdown into rich organic–chemical free nutrients that are good for all the garden soil around your plants.

So, rather than remove all the leaves and send them to the garbage dump, locate several hidden areas around the house to store them instead. They are rich as gold to the garden soil.

3 COMPOSTING - ORGANIC LEFTOVERS
There are two kinds of composting: Hot and Cold.
• 1-Leaf composting is an example of cold processing (decomposition breakdown by fungi).
• 2-Hot composting involves organic products: banana peals, coffee grinds, eggshells, cow manure etc (decomposition breakdown by bacteria–generates heat).

4 SHRUBS - PRUNING
Get out that sharp pruning shear and hack-back all the those overgrown shrubs and hedges. Shape this into a smaller more compact form. In addition to bringing much needed order to the landscape–prunning will help with returning more plant nutrients and energy to help produce more foliage and blooms on the shrubs.

5 BULBS
Plan to add spring color now. Fall is the time to plant certain bulbs for next years garden color. Some favorite bulbs are:
• 1-Tulips
• 2-Crocus
• 3-Daffodils
• 4-Hyacinth
• 5-Lillies
• 6-Allium
Fall Clean-up

6 MULCH - PLANT PROTECTION
Benefits of adding organic mulch around the garden, here are four considerations:
• 1-CLEMATIS, maintains soil temperature, prevents root freeze
• 2-holds moisture
• 3-prevents excessive weed growth
• 4-adds vital nutrients to the soil.

LINKS TO GET YOU STARTED - FARMERS ALMANAC:
Farmer's Almanac - Fall Cleanup