Your Fall Gardening Task List

As temperatures begin cooling off and daylight hours dwindle, it’s time to finish the gardening season strong. Essential autumn chores on your to-do list should include giving permanent plantings such as trees, shrubs, and perennials a little TLC, cleaning up your veggie garden, and winterizing your lawn. A little work now means you’ll have more time in spring; then you can spend your time browsing seed catalogs while you dream up next year’s garden plans! Here are the essentials: Your Fall Gardening Task List.

FALL TASKS FOR TREES & SHRUBS
  • Plant new deciduous trees and shrubs up until about a month before the ground usually freezes.
  • Newly planted trees and shrubs will tolerate harsh winter conditions better when well watered in Fall. Extra water for evergreens is especially important in fall.
  • Never shear a shrub in fall and leave major pruning or renovation for late winter/early spring, or immediately after bloom for spring-flowering shrubs.
  • Add a fresh layer of mulch around trees and shrubs to protect roots from winter temperature extremes.
Layering mulch in garden beds or on tender shrubs and perennials for protection is an important Fall task.
FALL TASKS FOR THE VEGETABLE GARDEN
  • Make notes on the layout to help with crop rotation next year.
  • Collect and save seeds from heirloom fruits and vegetables.
  • Continue harvesting fruits & vegetables and try canning or freezing extra produce.
  • Plant garlic and shallots.
  • Remove garden structures including tomato stakes, trellises, etc.
  • Give the compost pile a final turn, add it to the garden and till it in.
  • Add a layer of manure or compost to enrich the soil and replenish nitrogen levels.
Root crops like carrots & beets are often sweetest in the colder weather.
FALL TASKS FOR THE FLOWER BEDS

• Dig up and store tender bulbs like dahlias, gladiolus, or canna lilies.
• Plant early spring flowering bulbs like tulips, crocus, alliums & daffodils.
• Take a final harvest from the herb garden and preserve.
• Cut back perennials if their foliage has browned, divide perennials if needed, and move or transplant perennials.
• Apply a layer of mulch where needed to protect more tender perennials & shrubs.

how to dig and store dahlias for winter
Now is the time for digging and storing tender summer bulbs. Learn more about storing dahlias in our post here.
FALL TASKS FOR YARD MAINTENANCE
  • Rake dead leaves and other lawn debris and bag, burn or add to the compost pile, or mulch into the lawn.
  • Assess the condition of your lawn and treat weeds, repair damaged spots.
  • Drain hoses, coil and store.
  • Drain gas from power equipment like tillers, mowers, hedge trimmers and weed eaters or add a stabilizing product to the gas tank.
  • Clean bird feeders and remove old nest material from bird boxes.
Turf Builder Fall Lawn Food Lifestyle 4
A final Fall feed can help ensure a healthier lawn next Spring.

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