Fall Gardening Tasks

Now's the time to start preparing our gardens for Winter. Although we are tempted to procrastinate when it's time to put our gardens to bed for the season, it has to be done.


Evaluate
 
The end of the garden year is an excellent time to evaluate what did and did not work in your garden design. As you work your way through the garden readying it for winter, review what garden changes delighted or horrified you as you watched the seasons pass.

It's time to decide (and make note of) what you want more of and what you want to eliminate. For example:

Which of the Spring and Summer bloomers will you divide and replant now?

Which of the late Summer and Fall bloomers will you divide next Spring?

Which plants will you eliminate and give away to friends for their gardens?

Which plants do you want to put on your wish list for next year's garden?

Clean Up the Garden
 
To prepare our gardens for the inevitable cold, tough New England winter, we should start to:

Remove garden debris, dead foliage, and weeds

Gently aerate the soil

Provide deep watering

Top dress each bed with a layer of compost

Mulch the entire garden AFTER the ground has frozen.