SMartGarden™

SMartGarden™- Garden Clean-up

Fall is the time to prepare for next year's garden

As the growing season winds down, it is time for the forward-thinking gardener to engage in clean-up. A few simple tasks accomplished in late fall will have a major impact on the appearance of the garden through the winter, and more importantly, on its health and care next season.

General Clean-Up

• Branches of trees and shrubs that have been damaged beyond repair-physically or by disease-should be removed. Stems that display disease symptoms such as cankers or sunken lesions are usually best removed as well to prevent the further spread of disease.
• Minimize next year's insect pests by removing and disposing obvious signs of infestation such as the "bags" of bagworms and the nests of fall webworms.
• Weed all gardens-do not let fall weeds go to seed.
• Rake leaves to avoid matting that may suffocate lawn or ground covers. Compost both weeds and leaves.
• Clean up and repair your tools.

Flower Beds and Borders

Once they have succumbed to a heavy frost, most annuals look pretty ragged in the garden. Plants can be cut off at ground level, leaving the roots to break down in the soil; this is a particularly good practice where erosion is a problem. Another approach is to remove the plants, roots and all, before composting. The soil that clings to the roots will help "feed" your compost, because it contains organisms that are responsible for decomposing vegetation and turning it into valuable humus. Although the heat of an active compost pile will kill most weed seeds and many diseases, it is safest to exclude all plants that are diseased.

Perennial plants that die back in the fall can be cut to the ground-unless they contribute to your winter landscape or provide food or cover for desirable wildlife. Even after they turn pale brown, the leaves of epimediums offer subtle texture beneath deciduous shrubs and trees, many ornamental grasses are at their best when their dried plumes sway in the winter winds, and the dark russet seed heads of coneflowers (Echinacea spp.) and black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia spp.) nourish birds through the cold months. These and other herbaceous plants that are valuable in your winter garden can be cut back in early spring before new growth begins.

Another consideration as you cut back old flowering stems of both annuals and perennials, is whether or not they self-sow, and if they do, how do you feel about it? To make the most of self-sowers, distribute the seeds where you would like new plants. On the other hand, if your bed is already too crowded, or if uniformity is important in your garden, carefully collect the seedheads before the seed is dispersed to prevent the growth of potentially variable seedlings. Those seeds that birds enjoy can be added to your feeder.

Be sure to mark the location of late-emerging perennials such as balloon flower (Platycodon spp.) and butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) to avoid injuring them when working the garden in early spring.

As you trim and inspect your perennials, you may decide that some have become over crowded and require dividing. New divisions need time for their roots to establish or they may be damaged by winter cold; depending on where you live, it might be best to wait until spring before attempting to dig and divide your plants. If you expect several more weeks of relatively mild weather, however, most perennials that bloom in spring and summer can be divided in fall.

While mulching for winter protection is important, wait to apply it until you have had several hard freezes.

Vegetable Gardens

Fall clean-up of vegetable gardens can be complicated somewhat by late-season plantings, but, for the most part, vegetables follow the same routine as annual flowers.

If you clear your vegetable garden in fall, a cover crop such as winter rye, alfalfa, or clover can be sown to prevent winter erosion. The cover presents a neat winter appearance and the "green manure" adds substantial organic matter to your garden soil when it is turned under in spring. A layer of organic mulch is another option for covering your winter vegetable garden. It too will improve your soil when you till in the spring.

Collect, clean, and store cages and stakes that you plan to use again.

Ready for Spring

While ridding the garden of unwanted debris, be sure to leave plants that provide food and cover for desired wildlife. While accomplishing these end-of-season chores, assess the successes and failures of the season and consider changes for the coming year so that you will be poised for action when spring returns.

Rita Pelczar, Associate Editor