Fall Gardening Tips
It’s still too early to throw in the trowel in the fall garden or landscape. After an extremely hot and dry summer, fall’s cooler days encourage us to catch up on any needed chores.
Drought – the dreaded word! Yes, after so much rain this spring, plants are really struggling from lack of rain this summer and into fall. That’s your cue to make sure your landscape plants are watered deeply, especially as they prepare to go dormant for the winter months ahead.
Frosty forecast? If so, harvest any last warm season vegetables. Pick green tomatoes and wrap them in newspaper to continue ripening. Don’t be too hasty to harvest cool seasonal crops like cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts – a light frost helps to improve their taste.
Seeing carpets of yellowing needles on the ground is a ‘fall’ thing! Some years seem more pronounced than others, that’s when people take notice. A few thoughts: plants that are drought-stressed may react more noticeably (recall the dry periods we’ve had this summer and into fall). No need for alarm, it’s Mother Nature’s way of shedding older growth that the plant doesn’t need and cannot support. In natural landscaped areas, use these needles as mulch. BTW – this natural phenomenon occurs on rhododendrons, azaleas, and other evergreens at this time of the year.
Dahlias, cannas, and gladiolas need to be dug and stored for the winter months. Once a frost has nipped them back, carefully dig/lift them from the soil, allow them to dry in the sun for a day or two, then store in a cool, frost-free location for the winter months.
Bees, wasps, and hornets make their presence known in early fall. Here are a few helpful hints to deal with stinging insects: carefully find the nest (when possible) and treat it after dark with an insecticide labeled for their control. Or contact an exterminator to do the job for you. If the nest is in an out-of-the-way location and you can wait, a killing frost will do the job for you. Then the nest could be safely removed and disposed of.
Daffodils, tulips, crocus, hyacinths, snowdrops, and grape hyacinths are all planted in the fall so you can enjoy their beauty in the spring. Remember – you plant in fall to enjoy in spring. It’s time to buy and plant!
Fall is the ideal time to bed out pansies and violas. Some people think they are just for spring planting. Plant in the fall and they will provide double-duty – color now and color again in the spring.