Fall Garden Cleanup
I love getting out in the cool, crisp autumn air after the first few frosts of the season to do some fall cleanup. The garden looks more attractive in winter without the tattered stalks and dead leaves, and removing plant debris helps reduce insect pest and plant disease problems later on.
So here is what I do. Working on one area of the garden at a time, I . . .
These sweet potato vine tubers will overwinter in the garage for replanting next spring.
- Save the seeds from open-pollinated annuals to plant next year. This includes zinnias, Rudbeckia ‘Prairie Sun’ and ‘Cherry Brandy’, scarlet runner beans, hyacinth bean vine and others.
- Remove the faded annual flowers or vegetables by pulling them up or just cutting them off at soil level.
- Cut back perennials that turn messy with freezing weather. I like to leave sturdy-stalked perennials, like coneflowers and hibiscus, standing in the garden for winter interest and to provide food and shelter to birds.
- Dig up tender bulbs to be saved for next year, removing most of the soil and the fading stems. I wrap them in newspaper and put them in a box in a cool, dry location. Canna lily rhizomes, elephant ear (Colocasia) tubers and sweet potato vine tubers spend the winter on a shelf in my garage.
- Move perennials that need moving, being sure to water them in well.
- Weed and edge the beds, and spread an inch of compost or mulch on top.
I’m about halfway through my garden cleanup for this year. I use all of the garden debris I’ve collected during this cleanup to start a batch of compost that I’ll be able to use by next spring. More on that later!
Happy Gardening!
Brilliant phrase
Truden
We just finished fall clean up at the City Barn Community Garden. Last year we didn’t prune the Russian Sage or Butterfly Bushes until spring when they were already sprouting. They grew to over 8 feet high, which was magnificent, but we can’t have them 16 feet high next year! A few neighbors complained about lack of visibility around the corner of Vine and Glenmary because of these monstrous beauties. I’m sure we’ll end up with 5-6 feet of growth by the end of the season which is just about enough.
Now we just need a shredder to handle the monster piles of brush!
Thanks for the liriope, Russian Sage, phlox and other great perennials for our Ruther and Glenmary Triangle projects. We took second place for Continuing Projects at the Keep Cincinnati Beautiful awards in mid November!