Scan these tips from gardening expert, Melinda Myers, and follow those that apply to your particular landscape to help increase your success while making gardening easier, less stressful and fun.
• Fall cleanup is the best way to reduce and even eliminate many future pest problems. Keep weeding and remove and destroy any diseased leaves and annual plants at the end of the season.
• Shred fall leaves as you cut the grass and leave them on the lawn. As long as you can see the grass blades through the leaf pieces, the lawn will be fine. The shredded leaves will break down adding organic matter and nutrients to the soil below.
• Blow or rake fallen leaves off groundcover plantings. Or cover plantings with netting to catch the leaves. Remove the leaf covered netting and compost the collected leaves. Repeat as needed throughout the fall.
• Start installing animal protection now. Fencing, scare tactics and repellents or a combination of these can help protect your plants from hungry critters this winter.
• Fall is a great time to test your soil. The soil testing labs are usually less busy so you will get your results back quickly. Plus, you’ll have all the needed information for preparing your garden for the next growing season.
• Cover tender plants with floating row covers such as Harvest Guard or sheets when frost is in the forecast. Row covers allow air, light and water through and can be left in place until frost is no longer I the forecast or until the end of the season. Remove sheets each morning and cover plants each night frost is threatening.
• Dig, cure and move non-hardy bulbs like cannas, dahlias, elephant ears indoors for winter.
• Keep planting spring flowering bulbs until the ground freezes.
• Leave healthy disease and insect-free perennials stand for winter to increase their hardiness and vigor. Plus many of your perennials provide homes for overwintering stages of beneficial and beautiful insects like butterflies.
• Dig and divide overcrowded peonies you want to move, after the leaves have been killed by the frost. Cut the roots into smaller clumps making sure each section has at least 3 to 5 eyes (buds). Replant the divisions no more than 1 to 2 inches below the soil surface.
• Leave asparagus stems and leaves intact for winter. These help catch the snow that makes a great winter mulch.
• Pick any remaining tomatoes including mature green tomatoes before the first killing frost. Those tomatoes with the blossom end greenish white or showing color can be ripened indoors.
• Move Rosemary, bay and other non-hardy herbs indoors for the winter. Place in a bright sunny window or under artificial lights. Keep the soil slightly moist but not too wet.
• Harvest grapes when the fruit is sweet and juicy. Harvest and taste one grape from the tip of the bunch. If it tastes ripe, it is time to harvest the bunch.
• October is a great time to plant most trees and shrubs. The soil is warm and air is cool reducing the risk of transplant shock. Be sure to water thoroughly and as needed until the ground freezes.
• Fall, after the leaves drop, is the second best time to transplant shrubs and small trees.
• You can fertilize trees and shrubs in need of a nutrient boost in fall after the leaves drop.
• Don’t worry if your evergreen has yellow or brown needles all along the trunk. This is a common occurrence called seasonal needle drop.
• Fall is a great time to remove the invasive buckthorn and honeysuckle shrubs from the landscape. Cut to ground level and treat stumps with an herbicide labeled for this purpose.
• Continue to mow your lawn high and for as long as it continues to grow in fall. There’s no need to cut the lawn shorter for winter.
• Fertilize your lawn one last time this season. Make this last application sometime between late October and Thanksgiving and before the ground freezes.
Written by gardening expert, Melinda Myers. Melinda Myers is a nationally recognized gardening expert with more than 30 years of horticulture experience. She is a wealth of knowledge and we are pleased to share Melinda’s monthly gardening tips with you!
Shred fall leaves as you cut the grass and leave them on the lawn. As long as you can see the grass blades through the leaf pieces the lawn will be fine. The shredded leaves will break down adding organic matter and nutrients to the soil below.
