There are a lot of garden tasks in the fall that can help to produce a healthier , more fat vegetable garden .
But of all , there are 2 that certainly stand out as weigh the most .
If you take a little sentence to do both this fall , you set the stage for a more productive garden next twelvemonth .
And if you do n’t ? Well , you are almost certainly necessitate for next year ’s garden to have more pests and more sens . And a batch more maintenance and study for you !
Here is a look at the two most of import fall garden tasks of all , and why they are so essential to your garden ’s ongoing health and achiever .
The 2 Must-Do Fall Garden Tasks
#1 Removing All Plants, Foliage & Weeds
No matter what , get those old , decay vegetable plants out of the garden !
Unfortunately , all too often , gardeners grow weary of their garden by fall .
Some have grown tired of the battle with weed or lachrymation . While others have picked so much produce , they just ca n’t handle anymore .
And so it happens , the garden sits and tardily decays . With every single weed and blighter hang around with it . Sometimes all the way up until next outflow .
Leaving this year ’s veg plant life to overwinter in the garden is simply inquire for trouble .
As plants sit down and decay , bad thing begin to happen . pest in the garden find a more lasting abode . And they begin to procreate .
And as they do , they also lay larvae and egg that overwinter in both the plants and soil .
All of which of course will head to more pests in next year ’s garden .
But leave alone plants in the garden does more than just increase pest universe .
It also let blight , mold , and other diseases that affect plant life an chance to find a lasting nursing home .
Last but certainly not least , allowing old plant to overwinter means their rotting and decompose fruit and vegetables flow around too .
Rotting fruit not only encourages even bombastic pests like raccoon , sens and cervid to get used to bring down your garden , it also plants hundreds of their source into the ground .
seminal fluid that then shoot next time of year and compete for plant ’s nutrient .
It ’s easy to see why clearing the garden should always be a top priority when it arrive to flow garden tasks !
Fall Garden Task #2 – Providing Protection And Nutrients For The Soil
So now everything is cleared out , it ’s clock time to protect and recharge that precious garden soil .
And when it get to this second fall garden chore , both can easily be done at the same time .
Once a garden has been cleared of it ’s foliage , the stain need to be covered . Either with an organic mulch such as leaf or husk , or by constitute a re - kinetic natural covering crop .
A wooden-headed 4 to 6″ layer of leaves is a great selection to cross candid garden soil for the winter . The leaves keep weed seeds from feel bare soil , and keep erosion at bay .
The secure way of all to both protect and re - excite your garden ground in the fall is with a cover crop . ( See Planting A drop Cover Crop In The Garden )
A cover crop grows chummy to protect the soil from erosion . All while crowding out existing weeds and new weed seeds from finding a habitation .
But best of all , it re - energizes the garden by giving it ’s nutrient back to the stain .
We have been using a cover harvest of one-year rye whiskey in our garden now for the last 8 years , and with each passing year , the soil becomes more fertile , more productive , and sluttish to work.(See : How To Plant An Annual Rye Cover Crop )
But one affair is sure when it come to this dusk garden task – whatever you do , whether with leaf , shuck , a book binding crop – or even a tarp – cover that garden to protect it !
Here is to putting your garden to layer with a few smashing fall garden tasks . And to a healthier and better garden next year .
Happy Gardening ! Jim and Mary .
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing horticulture , DIY and recipe article and books for over 15 years from their 46 Accho Ohio farm . The two are frequent speakers on all thing gardening and dearest to trip in their bare prison term .
