Gardening Tips

Prep Your Garden for Fall: 5 Essential Must-Dos

Can you believe autumn is right around the corner? We can – and what a year it’s been!

We hit the ground running this year with great new garden tool choices and the response has been amazing. I’d like to thank each and every person who has helped to spread the word on Cate’s Garden products and who has contributed suggestions for our blog. Keep the ideas coming – our goal is to address every question our visitors have and to make your gardening experience the best it can be.

In the meantime – are you ready for fall? Even if you are, your garden might not be. So here’s how to get in gear for chillier nights, crisp days and coming winter…and keep your garden in tip-top shape through it all.

Remove dead plants.

Old, dying and/or rotting plants take up space and may even infect the rest of your garden if they're diseased. Do a "cleanup" by pulling out dead plants. If they haven't gone to seed and show no signs of disease, you may be able to use old plants your compost pile. Chop or break the plants smaller and add to the pile so you can "recycle" them and use them later.

Add mulch.

Now is a good time to replenish soil from a prolific spring and summer. Add nutrient-rich mulch (compost works well) in areas that need it, or simply sprinkle a light mulch cover between each row.

Cut back.

Though many plants are best pruned in the spring, a few do better being cut back in the autumn. Check for which of your bushes, shrubs and trees are due for a pruning and get down to it before the snow flies.

Replace summer annuals with cold-hardy varieties.

So many plants look gorgeous in the colder weather, so don't think the beauty is over just because there's less sun. Choose cold-hardy varieties and put them into the ground before things get too chilly; that way they'll be acclimated by the time the colder weather hits.

Weed.

Just because it's cooler out doesn't mean weeds will no longer proliferate. With many weed varieties, survival mode WILL win out unless you're diligent. So don't skip this important step in the fall.

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