If you’re new to gardening, this is something that might still sound weird to you, but you should definitely know: the fall season is a key time of the year to guarantee a beautiful garden! Bulbs, vegetables, perennials and shrubs are not exclusive of spring season, all those can also be planted during fall.
Here are a couple reasons why:
First of all, the cooler temperature is not only easier on the plants, but also on the gardener (in this case: you). Plus, since the weather is cooler, but the soil is still warm, roots will keep growing until the first winter frost, when the ground freezes. Alongside that, fall provides a better opportunity to manage soil fertility and control weeds on your lawn.
One more reason before we go on:
Garden centers will be doing lots of sales since most of them will want to sell the remaining inventory before winter comes.
"No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face." - John Donne
Plan Ahead
Each crop has a lifespan you can foretell, that way it becomes easy to plan ahead when you’ll plant what you want to plant and when it’ll be possible to harvest it. You can use your general tasks calendar to keep track of your gardening as well. The idea is to plant all your seed so they can reach maturity before the frost season starts.
Tip: if you’re still new to gardening, each seed pack you buy will have something like “days to maturity” indicating how long it’ll take until it’s ready to harvest.
Vegetables
There’s one thing to keep in mind when thinking about planting vegetables in fall: you should plant all of them at least 90 days before the first frost. Some will need a bit more time, other a little less, but this is just a general rule for you to follow.
Among the vegetables that thrive this season are:
- Lettuce
- Spinach
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Kale
Trees and Shrubs
We’ve already mentioned once before that fall is the perfect time to plant a tree, so this is more of a reminder. Plus, shrubs are also great to plant this time of the year since the warm soil allows roots to develop properly.
Remember: keep all plants and shrubs hydrated until the first frost comes - it’ll keep them healthy to survive the dormancy period.
A tree planting service can help you get the perfect angle and spot for your new tree! Did you know costs can vary from state to state? For example, in Casper, WY the average cost is $4,164, while in New Orleans, LA the average is $3,451.
Get a more accurate estimate for your region by contacting a local professional!
Pansies
Just as the other items you’ll plant in fall, the reason why pansies are a great pick for you is because of the warm soil. Once the roots are developed, you’ll have at least two seasons to enjoy these gorgeous plants. You’ll want to keep the soil moist all the time, and once it freezes, use mulch to prevent plants from heaving off the ground.
Spring Bulbs
These bulbs you’ll plant now, but you’ll only see them grow when the warm weather comes back. They need to be planted now so they can thrive in the next spring - since they need the dormancy period to strengthen its roots. The best bulbs for the season are:
- Daffodil
- Glory-of-the-snow
- Winter aconite
- Snowdrop
- Siberian squill
Perennials
Once again: when you plant these in the fall, they will need lots and lots of water in order to survive the dormancy period during winter. Though with perennials, you need to be careful not to overwater them, one inch of water per week is ideal. Plus, you don’t need to plant them too deep, a couple inches above the bud on the root should be fine for them to bloom properly.
Lawn Care
Renewing the lawn will be a more high maintenance task, but it will give you a beautiful thriving garden for the next spring. You could start by getting your soil tested to know exactly what it needs, however, these reports could take a couple of weeks to show the results and by then it might be too late to do anything in your lawn.
So, now is the time to seed your lawn!
Once you get the report, you can adjust the nutrients and whatever more your lawn may need. This is the high maintenance part I mentioned before: you’ll need to water the new seeds several times each day so they can germinate as is due.
Organic Gardening
Did you know there’s a way to use fallen leaves in your garden? Yeah, that’s true! You can spread them on your lawn and use the lawn mower to shred them to small pieces. This creates that layer of mulch your lawn will need over the winter!
A professional landscaping service can help you with any troubles you might run into this fall. Get a free quote today!
