The growing season may be finishing up this year but it is still a busy time of the year for the home gardener.
Planting
Some perennial plants do very well to go into the ground now. This is especially true for bushes and trees. You do want to get them put in weeks before the ground freezes and when the weather is not scorching, making the early fall an ideal time.
What is most important is how you plant. Remove any burlap or binding on the roots. Dig a hole big enough for the ball of roots to fit on undisturbed soil. The width should be two to three times the width of the root ball. The depth is most important. The flare at the bottom of the trunk should be slightly above the soil grade. When you fill in the hole, do not mimic the shape of a volcano. The filled-in hole should only have a slight grade from the trunk flare to ground level. Step on the filled-in hole. Your weight will remove air pockets and give the roots better contact with the soil. Check with your local nursery if you have more questions. Remember to water. Initially water very thoroughly to establish the plant’s setting.
End of Season Chores:
___ Plant perennials, prune existing perennials.
___ Remove seed pods, also called deadheading. For non-hybrid varieties, it is a great way to have seeds ready for next year.
___ If you have rain barrels, clean them out, dry them out and bring them inside. If you leave them outside, it is likely that they will crack. With a little care, they should last decades.
___ If you are planting cool-season grass, October is the time! Any fertilizing on existing lawns should be done right before a rain.
___ Be sure to clean your garden tools. Sterilize, sand, oil and sharpen as needed.
___ Don’t leave gas in your lawn mower tank over the winter.
___ If you want fresh greens throughout the winter, now is the time to assemble a cold frame.
___ Create a wish list. Now that the season is ending, this is a good time to write down what you want for next year while it’s fresh in your mind. You may want to distribute the list in December, too.
Have Your Tomatoes Available in the Winter
Be sure to get your tomatoes picked before their vines are killed by the frost, probably by mid-October. Green tomatoes can either be put in a cool, dark place or a brown paper bag to finish ripening. You do have the option to can or freeze green tomatoes.
If you choose to freeze them with the intention of frying them in the cold winter months, wash, core and then slice the tomatoes ¼-inch thick. Pack the slices into a freezer-tight container with freezer wrap between the layers. Leave a ½-inch headspace. Seal and freeze them, and when you want to cook them in the winter, just remove what you need for that one meal. This is an easy way to keep green tomatoes available year-round.
If you get overwhelmed with red cherry tomatoes at the end of the season, here’s a simple way to have them available for winter cooking. Remove the stem, wash and drain them. Place on a single layer on a cookie sheet. Freeze. Once they become hard tomato “marbles” store them in freezer bags. They can be cooked into soups, stews, roasts, scrambles, etc.
Prepare for Next Year
If you know you are expanding garden space, let the winter weather do some of the work. “Lasagna” gardening needs to break down the components to be ready to be used. Fall is an ideal time to layer. Lasagna gardening is a shortcut to creating a new garden. Tilling is not necessary. You need to layer biodegradable materials: newspaper, vegetable discard that would go into a compost pile, peat moss, garden center soil, cardboard, leaves, pine needles . . . don’t be afraid to make your pile several inches high. It may still need more decomposing in the spring, but it has sure given you a jump start. You’ll just use a hoe or a fork in the spring to mix things up a bit and break through the old grass. You will add fertilizer in the spring. It makes for an easy start.
___
Photos:
Mums courtesy of Elizabeth/Pexels
Fall tomatoes courtesy of Harrison Haines/Pexels
___
