Fall Garden Activities

Tips for Your Fall Garden

  • Remove all rotten fruit from the ground around trees—infestations last through winter.
  • Clean out old annuals and weeds before seeds drop.
  • Cut back spent perennials that create hiding places for slugs, snails, and other pests. Prevent problem seeds from spreading.
  • Leave dried flowers, ornamental grasses, and seed heads that look good and provide food for birds.
  • Build a simple compost bin for fall leaves. Add fresh leaves and grass cuttings to your compost and cover until spring.
  • Rake up and dispose of leaves around roses, apple trees, and plants susceptible to powdery mildew and other pests and diseases that overwinter on debris.
  • Remove diseased tomato, potato, and squash foliage to prevent disease. Do not toss these plants in the compost. Bag and discard.
  • Remove dead branches from roses and fruit trees (no pruning yet).
  • Mulch the garden with chopped-up leaves and grass clippings.
  • Confuse pathogens by mapping out a garden plan for crop rotation.
  • Plant spring bulbs.
  • Clean tool blades with vegetable oil and handles with sandpaper.

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