If you’re an experienced gardener, you know just how important it is to prep your garden and yard for the upcoming winter months and fall gardening. But, even if you’re a first-time homeowner who hasn’t dealt with this particular responsibility so far, there’s no need to be nervous or stressed. The prep doesn’t have to be overly complicated and challenging, or take too much of your time if you know what you’re doing. In that respect, keep in mind the following tips as they will make the whole ordeal simpler and more efficient.
Get rid of rotting plants and weeds
You might
be growing your own herbs and vegetables and/or you could be focused more on
decorative plants instead. Whatever the case may be, it’s crucial that you go
through your garden and inspect the plants thoroughly. Wherever you see a
rotting plant or weeds, make sure to get rid of those. Not only are they
unsightly, but they can also disturb the proper growth of your other plants.
Not to mention that these tend to attract pests and insects. In the end, you
can simply trash these or use them for the compost.
Prepare your soil for spring
You don’t
actually have to wait for spring in order to actively prepare your garden soil.
What’s more, doing so during the fall will only make the soil better. That
said, this is the perfect time to add compost, manure, bone meal, and so on.
Furthermore, don’t hesitate to till your soil as this will make a huge
difference when it comes to extreme weather drainage. Of course, all of this
might be too excessive for your particular garden but for those who care about
their plant growth, it’s truly a staple practice. Also, don’t forget to cover
your prepped soil with plastic sheets so that you can effectively protect it
during the winter season.
Fall Gardening : Prune your trees and shrubs
Overgrowth
is never a good thing, especially when it’s fall, and you have some rather
luscious shrubbery and tall trees in your garden. Even perennials can benefit
from pruning but before you move on to those, make it a point to properly cut branches and growth that might cause the plants to dry out during
the winter, and even worse – might end up causing an accident once the ice and
snow pile up. When you’re done with your trees, shrubs and maybe even living
garden walls, it’s time to shift your attention to perennials. Not all perennials
benefit from fall pruning. That said, focus on rosemary, thyme, sage, asparagus, blackberries, fennel,
and so on.
Keep your tools sharp and in good working order
If you want
to experience smooth sailing as you prepare your garden and yard for the winter
months, it’s crucial that your garden tools are sharp and functional;
otherwise, you’ll only have more work to stress over, not to mention that bad
quality tools can often end up being dangerous. In that
respect, it’s essential to keep your chainsaw is in great condition with sharp
and properly fitted chainsaw
chains ready for work; otherwise, the chains might get stuck if they’re too
dull. Aside from chainsaw,
your garden scissors, knife and even shovel, spade and rake all need to be
sharpened and properly cleaned after every use. Remember that you’ll also need
good-quality garden gloves. Also, once you’re done with all the prep, turn off
the water for the hose and sprinklers to avoid freezing and damage.
Address the room for improvement
Those of you who have been cultivating vegetables and maybe even fruit in your garden should take the time to assess the success of the growth rate in the past season. For instance, some veggies and fruits might have been underperforming, which means that you should put some effort into trying out new varieties for your particular location. Obviously, not everything in regard to performance will be within your control, but soil fertility, moisture levels as well as the placement of the plants are, and these factors all contribute to the healthy plant growth and performance. If you want to spruce things up a bit performance-wise, now is the time to do so.
Don’t hesitate to utilize fall leaves and other debris common for this time of year to regenerate and boost the efficiency of your compost. Adding these will effectively enrich the compost, thus nourishing your soil wonderfully once the weather becomes warm again.
Once you are done with fall gardening, keep going with the winter garden decoration !
