We knew it was coming and here it is - time to put our gardens to bed. Some of us are extreme gardeners, with gardens of many kinds; some of us focus on flowers while others on vegetables and all things edible. Others of us are container gardeners, which makes the transition to freezing temps pretty simple. So let’s start there …
Containers (think clay or concrete) that may crack with freezing and thawing should be moved inside to a freeze-free zone. If the plants are annuals, now is a good time to discard the plants so the soil can be refreshed in the spring for replanting. If the plants in your containers are perennials - tender or otherwise - protecting them from a hard
freeze makes sense, because they don’t have deep soil to surround and protect them. However, my large herb pots are made of a man-made plastic material that tolerates the freeze, and the most hardy of herbs (chives in particular - see photo inset) spring back to life each year. Best practice in container gardening is to sanitize the pots annually before planting.
For the vegetable gardener, harvesting and preserving what your garden produced makes this time of year a busy one. As we bask in the fruits of our labor, mornings are cooler and days are shorter. A hard frost is on its way! There is nothing like the sense of accomplishment in a meal that comes from our garden. So harvest the warm-season crops when
you can, and keep them covered with a frost cloth as mid-October (approximate danger point for frost) approaches. Tomatoes overflow on our counters and basil, broccoli, cabbage and carrots are stuffed in the crisper drawer until we get to them. Making a batch of pesto or pickles is a good way to utilize garden produce to enhance a winter meal, prolonging the enjoyment of
the growing season.
If you have been tending a backyard compost pile/ container, it may be ready to use, and now is a good time to add it to your garden beds. Finally, covering your beds with a layer of leaves is a great way to prepare for the following spring. And now your garden has been put to bed!
So what we haven’t covered as of yet is the topic of perennials. If planting in the fall, water perennials regularly until frost. The soil should never be overly dry or wet. Avoid getting water on the foliage to avoid disease. For those summer blooming bulbs like cannas and dahlias, remove them from the soil, cut back the top growth and allow bulbs
to dry in a cool dark place, possibly covered with dry sawdust or another protective material. For hardy perennials that will remain in the cold ground over winter as part of the life cycle of those plants, cut back on watering to help plants harden off in preparation for winter. (Note: those mentioned above TO BE WATERED until the frost are NEW plants!) Cut stems back to
6-8 inches. The exception to this rule to cut back the stems would be those that remain for winter food and protection to wildlife, i.e. coneflowers for seed.
Again, fall is a good time to work in a layer of compost which slowly releases nutrients to the plants and improves soil structure. Leaves gathered from the lawn at this time of year can be used to topdress all your gardens to protect and ultimately feed the soil. Some of us are tempted to discard leaves in trash bins or to be collected in some
other manner, when the nutrients they provide to our gardens is invaluable. Composted materials, leaves included, are often called "black gold" for good reason!
As the holidays approach, we can look out into the yard and realize that nothing more needs to be done outside. Instead, relax a little bit and begin planning for the coming winter festivities. And of course, don’t forget to tuck notes away of what worked, and what didn’t work, this past growing season. In fact, you may want to ask Santa to bring
you a journal for just that purpose!
Read other articles on gardening techniques
Read other articles by Kay Hinkle
