Fall Garden Clean-up

As we enter deeper into the fall months, we are beginning to see cooler temperatures and the last of so many garden plants we have loving cared for these past many months. But wait! We’re still not finished! Planting, cleanup, and winterizing the garden are important steps to ensuring another bountiful harvest next season.

Although most of the harvesting is over, there are still some plants that can be planted at this time of year. Along with fruit trees, some perennial herbs can be planted in the fall to encourage early blooming next summer. Because some perennial herbs, such as echinacea and bee balm, can take up to two seasons to bloom, planting them in the fall instead of the next spring can “trick” them into believing it’s their time to shine.

Garden clean up is also important in the fall months to ensure your perennials are happy throughout the winter. A few perennial herbs need extra care, or a blanket, to protect them throughout the winter. Pineapple sage and lemongrass are two examples of plants that can benefit from this extra attention. Cut the plant back to a few inches above the ground and heavily mulch with straw, or even spent leaves from a neighboring daylily (companion planting at its finest!).

While some gardeners like to leave annual plants in the ground during the winter for the local birds and bugs, this can increase the amount of seeds that accumulate in the garden and emerge in spring. Some herbs, such as holy basil, plantain, comfrey and chamomile produce a large amount of seeds that germinate easily and can quickly become a nuisance if left unchecked. Holy basil and annual chamomile plants can be completely cutback and dried for use or composted. New plants should be planted the following year. Since plantain and comfrey are perennials, I recommend either cutting the entire plant back and drying for use during the winter months. Or, removing the flowers to reduce the risk of spreading into undesirable areas.

As the temperatures continue to cool and the leaves continue to fall, there are still so many ways to get outside and enjoy the garden.

In anticipation of another bountiful harvest next season,

Jessica