It’s official – fall is here. Today marks the Autumnal Equinox, the astronomical start of the fall season in the Northern Hemisphere. Our gardens may still be prospering, but the end of the growing season is on the horizon. As the days become shorter and cooler, there are a number of things to do to keep your gardens healthy and productive for the remainder of this season as well as the next.
Weeding and Deadheading
Last month, weeds were at their peak and growing prolifically. Keeping on top of weeding right now can prevent weeds from seeding themselves, which means that fewer will propagate next season.
For perennial plants and flowers, use this time to pick off the old and shriveled blooms to encourage new growth and buds. And if you have a perennial that is unruly, go ahead and pinch off its flower heads to prevent it from seeding and out-competing the other plants in your garden. For trees and shrubs, fall is a good time for pruning.
Harvesting and Clearing Space
As late summer and fall crops begin to mature, continue harvesting all that you can to promote maximum pollination and production in this last part of the growing season. For crops like kale, harvesting encourages more growth. For one-time fall harvest crops like radishes or turnips, thinning the sprouts as they develop will give each plant enough space to grow and plump up by eliminating competition.
After the heat and dryness of August, plants can become withered and diseased. Now is a good time to clean up and trim back still-active plants, or to pull out spent plants altogether. Be sure that after clearing a space in the garden you cover the soil with mulch, a cover crop, or a late fall planting.
