FALL is HERE!!

It is officially fall whether the temperatures reflect it or not. Most people hear fall and start putting the garden tools away and begin winding down for winter. But not for this household. Fall is a busy time to prepare for next spring. At our home we are also busy planting. You read that correctly: planting. We are currently planting cold-tolerant plants such as brussel sprouts, cabbages and carrots. Depending on when the cold snap hits we hope to grow during the winter months. I will be protecting the plants with a clear plastic tarp. As an extra layer of protection I will also have a small greenhouse on top of the garden bed.

For all of you who aren’t up for growing in the winter, fall is a busy time to prepare your garden for springtime. It is the best time to start your compost pile because of the abundance of compostable material. From the never ending falling leaves to the food waste leftover from canning your summer produce. Some coffee shops will bag used coffee grounds and display them knowing it’s the compost season.

Here are 5 things you can do now to prepare for springtime:

1. Start a compost pile. This solves two problems. It gives you a place to put your yard waste and at the same time it will give you great soil to refill your garden beds in the spring.

2. Garden clean up. Now is the best time to remove cages, plant markers, and the dead plants. You can throw the old plants on your compost pile or on your burn pile if you think it may be diseased or full of weed seeds. I usually cut the plant at the base closest to the ground leaving the roots undisturbed (the roots will die over the winter and provide the spring plants with ready-made tunnels for root growth).

3. Prepare garden beds. After you remove the unwanted it is best to cover it with a mulch of some kind. This helps deter weeds from growing. You can use a wide variety of mulching products, from colorless cardboard to leaves that your neighbor accidentally blew into your yard.

4. Add soil amendment. People ask me “When should I put worm castings in my garden?” The answer I give is all year round. The beneficial microbes in your soil are not a one season thing. They are constantly at work improving your soil. Worm castings are the best way to add these microbes to your soil. It also helps at this time to plant cover crops that will either grow now or sprout in the spring to feed your beneficial microbes.

5. Plan next year’s garden. If you’re anything like me I have a very short term memory, unless I write it down. This is the best time to write the good things, the bad things, and what to change next year. It’s helpful to have a document of what and where you planted each year, especially if you plan on a yearly crop rotation. Farmer’s Almanac has a great garden planning software that you can find at http://gardenplanner.almanac.com/ , or you can be creative and use an excel spreadsheet.