Fall: Putting the Organic Garden to Bed
The season of mists and mellow fruitfulness is upon us. - John Keats
As much as I love gardening, I look forward to putting my garden to bed in the fall. First of all, let me say that fall is my favorite season. A change washes over the greens of summer, bringing brilliant oranges, reds and yellows across the entire landscape. The views change daily as fall becomes a fleeting experience, in contrast to the consistent months of summer that precedes it and the long months of winter that follows. The scent of fall is unique. The air is perfumed by a sweet smell of decay. Increasingly this is intersected with the sharp crispness of a cold morning that reminds you that winter is on its way. With a frost on the morning lawn, geese honking their way south and the comforting smell of wood smoke in the air it's autumn in New England.
In the same way my plants need a rest, I look forward to my own dormancy period. But before I can take an extended breather I need to get my garden ready for winter. The purpose is to get it in the best shape to survive winter and to get a jump start on spring chores.
Although fall began only 3 weeks ago, we are actually already in mid-fall. Meteorologically, the 90 warmest days ends approximately September 7th and the coldest 90 days begins about December 7th. I find the meteorological definition of seasons tobe more useful than the astronomical definition which is what we are all familiar with.
Soil Improvement: Top-dress around perennials using organic material such as compost, shredded leaves or well-rotted manure.
Perennials: If you intend to divide your perennials before winter don't wait much longer. The plants need enough time to establish their root systems and survive the winter. Make sure you keep them well watered too. Do not cut back all your perennials. Part of the fun of a garden is winter interest!
If you are a shrewd garden designer, you can design a garden that still derives beauty from perennials, ornamental grasses and evergreens during the winter. Importantly, seedpods and flower heads will provide food for the birds. These can be cut down in spring. Examples of these are astilbes, grasses, sedums, Rudbeckia (black-eyed susan), Echinacea purpurea (purple cone flower).
Despite the fact that I have told you to not cut back perennials, you definitely want to remove any diseased plants, flowers or foliage from your garden or yard. Most plant diseases are tough little organisms. If you don't remove diseased tissue, the disease will definitely persist during the winter and come back to haunt you next spring. Wash any tools, clothing or gloves you use to remove the diseased plant, preferably with bleach, as the spores, mold or other diseased tissue may otherwise remain and survive.
Spring flowering bulbs: If you are planting bulbs such as crocus, daffodils, tulips or other bulbs that need a cold treatment, now is the time to plant. The earlier you plant, the better chance to establish roots which will give them a head start in the spring. But bulbs can be successfully planted up until the ground is frozen. Mix a little organic fertilizer in the soil at the bottom of the planting hole and cover with a bit of compost. Plant in groups or clumps. Plant larger bulbs in uneven numbers for a more natural look.
Pruning: Do not prune anything after September except for dead wood. Pruning stimulates growth. If you prune plants in the late summer or early fall, they will use their energy reserves to produce tender growth that will be killed by frosts.
Mulch: It is important to provide organic material to your gardens. I find that the best way to do this is with compost in the late fall, as well as in the spring. However, I have also found that provided a thick layer of mulch in the fall provides too much opportunity for rodent activity that can destroy entire segments of my garden. Last season it was my recently planted astilbes, numerous grasses, as well as other perennials. More and more I find that not applying a winter mulch allows me to better control rodent damage and I do not see that my perennials are any worse for the exposure to the cold winter weather. Another circumstance to be careful is if you planted bulbs or perennials in a particularly moist area. If you do that, you could encourage rot in your precious plants by prohibiting moisture evaporation from the soil.
Lawns: Re-seeding is best done in early September so it's too late to seed now. By this time the lawn needs a slow growth period to harden off for winter. If you want to give your lawn some TLC aerate your lawn and top-dress the lawn with compost or a product such as a triple mix (loam, peat and well-rotted manure). Spread an organic fertilizer with a high phosphorus number (middle number in formula). The best time to fertilize your lawn is the first week of November.
Rake leaves off the lawn before the snow falls. Leaves left on the lawn all winter will encourage snow mold. Collect leaves for your compost bin and add a shovelful of compost or garden soil to activate the composting process.
Continue to mow the lawn until frost. Although it is recommended that you mow at a height of 2 ½-3 inches throughout the growing season, the last cut before winter should be lower, about 1 1/2inches.
Plant new trees and shrubs: Trees establish well in the fall because the crown, or top of the tree, is dormant, allowing the tree to put all of its energy into growing and establishing a healthy root system.
Water your tree until the first frost to help it get going. Apply an organic mulch but DO NOT apply mulch up to trunk, instead leave about 6" of bare ground tree or shrub. Too many times I see lawn maintenance people apply mulch high up around a tree as if it needed a scarf for the winter. This does two things: 1) weakens the bark making it vulnerable to attack by insects and disease and 2) provide cover for rodents to eat the bark. Over time, either activity will likely end in the demise of your expensive plants.
Annuals: if your garden is prone to erosion during heavy rains, leaving as many of your annual plants as possible in the ground will help your garden hold on to precious soil during the winter of rain, snow, melting and rivulets. Otherwise toss them into your compost pile.
Evergreens: After freeze-up on sunny days during the winter months, warm air speeds up transpiration or loss of water, but the roots may still be frozen. Leaf desiccation commonly shows up in late spring as brown foliage. Desiccation can cause the death of a plant. To reduce the possibility of desiccation, water regularly and abundantly until freeze-up. If the weather is dry water deeply once every seven to 10 days. An anti-desiccant can be sprayed on evergreen foliage but be careful to follow directions. Layer fallen leaves around the base of evergreens.
Rhododendrons & Mountain Laurels: Mulch with pine needles or oak leaves to keep soil acidic. Remember, these shrubs are used to a soft, airy, and acidic forest soil high in organic matter.
General Clean-up: Clean and put away furniture, pots, hanging baskets. Store clay and ceramic pots inside. Drain all hoses and turn off outside water sources. Window boxes left in place can be used for winter decoration.
Cleaning Tools: Clean, sharpen and oil all garden tools. Lawn mower and hedge clippers may be best left to the professionals at your local hardware or garden centre. It is important to get the right angle on the blade. Paint handles bright colors so you won't lose your favorite tools.
If you follow this advice, your garden should be nice and cozy for the winter and you will be on your way to have a beautiful garden year-round!
