As fall colors fade and winter gets closer, it's the perfect time to prepare your garden for the cold months ahead. Fall gardening is more than just cleaning up, it's about taking steps to make sure your garden is healthy for next Spring.
So, what can you do to prepare your garden for the Winter in NYS? Here are some important fall gardening tasks to do during the Fall and Winter:
- Harvest and preserve the last of your crops
If you still have vegetables or herbs in your garden, now is the time to harvest them. Cool-season vegetables like kale, carrots, and Brussels sprouts can still grow in cooler temperatures but don’t leave them out too long, as a hard frost can damage them. For example, kale, carrots, and Brussels sprouts can survive temperatures as low as 20°F, but it's better to harvest before reaching these temperatures to prevent frost damage.
- Clean up garden beds
Cleaning up dead plants and debris is important to prevent pests and diseases next year. Remove any spent annuals, diseased leaves, and vegetable plants. Leaving healthy plant material to decompose naturally can help improve soil health, but any plants showing signs of disease should be removed and thrown away to stop the spread of problems.
- Test and amend your soil:
Fall is a great time to test your garden soil. You can submit your samples to local laboratories or Cooperative Extension Office. Once you get your results, consider adding lime to raise the pH if needed or sulfur to lower it. Adding organic matter like compost or aged manure will also improve your soil’s fertility and structure over the winter.
How to take a sample for testing? learn how on https://allegany.cce.cornell.
- Mulch your garden beds:
Adding mulch is one of the best ways to protect your garden during the winter. A layer of organic mulch (like straw, shredded leaves, or wood chips) helps keep soil temperature steady, retain moisture, and prevent soil erosion. Mulching in the fall can also help stop weeds from growing in the spring, making it easier to start planting.
- Plant cover crops:
Cover crops like winter rye, clover, or vetch are great for improving soil health over the winter. These crops help prevent erosion, break up compacted soil, and add organic matter when tilled into the soil in the spring. Plant cover crops early enough in the fall so they have time to establish before the first hard frost. (If it's late in the season for this, remember this tip for next Fall).
- Protect perennials and shrubs:
Many perennials need a bit of extra protection during the winter. Add mulch around the base of your perennials to protect their roots from extreme cold. For more delicate shrubs, like roses, you can use burlap wraps or rose cones to protect them from harsh winter winds and changing temperatures.
- Care for trees and shrubs:
To protect young trees and shrubs from winter damage you can wrap them with tree guards or burlap to prevent bark splitting from sudden temperature changes. Also, you can add a thin layer of mulch around the base to help insulate roots but avoid piling mulch directly against the trunk to avoid attracting pests.
- Drain and store garden equipment:
Take the time to drain hoses and store them in a sheltered location, freezing temperatures can damage your watering equipment/tools. Clean and oil your garden tools to prevent rust and make sure your lawn mower and other power equipment are protected. Properly storing your tools will keep them in good shape for many years.
- Prepare for Spring by planning:
Fall is a good time to think about what worked well and what didn’t in your garden this year. Keep a garden journal, noting which plants did well, what pests were a problem, and any changes you want to make next season. This will help you to plan your garden for next year, when to order seeds, what seeds, how many plants to grow, etc.
- Compost Fall leaves:
Autumn leaves are a great resource for composting (they are brown material for your compost). Rake up fallen leaves and either add them to your compost pile or use them as mulch in your garden beds, they are rich in carbon and help balance the nitrogen-rich materials in your compost pile, making nutrient-rich compost for spring. Remember that you need a ratio of 80% brown material and 30% green material (or a 50/50 ratio) to have a good and healthy compost.
- Protect garden wildlife:
Consider leaving a small part of your garden undisturbed to support local wildlife. Native bees often spend the winter in the hollow stems of dead plants, and many beneficial insects take shelter in leaf litter. If this is something you would like to do, leaving some areas untouched you'll provide habitat for pollinators and other helpful creatures that will benefit your garden next year. But if you don't want to leave dead plants in the garden, another option is to build a bee hotel to provide shelter to bees.
