Fall Gardening Chores
Well, that’s it then, Summer is almost over. most perennials are spent all the annuals look leafy and leggy, the slug and snail damage is starting to show,and even the tireless hollyhocks are down to their last buds and fading fast.
But despite the end of summer seeming ever imminent there is still much fall work to be done before we put our gardens to bed for the winter.
There is no better time than the fall , for transplanting – or for that matter planting, come to that. The only problem with putting in new
things now is that garden centres don’t stock much for the fall in the same way they do for spring planting ,they don’t want to be left with inventory for the winter . If you are lucky enough to find what you want, or if you only want to move around plants you already own , now is
the time.
Most trees, shrubs and perennials have stopped
producing leaves and flowers and are just entering a period of vigorous root growth.
Plants newly planted or moved now will have up to two months to settle in and grow new root systems before they go dormant for the winter. In addition fall plantings will get an additional two months’ jump start on next year’s spring transplants, because fall plantings roots will start growing again as early as February. The size of a perennial’s root system pretty much dictates its size aboveground, so the perennials you put in next spring will not, for at least a season, be anything like the size of your fall planted perennials .
the downside to this is of course, that any perennial weeds left in the garden now will also have the same weeks of root growth to get bigger and stronger for next spring, so fall is the time to weed, weed, weed ,it’s in your own interest, to get the garden as weed-free as you can, in preparation for next year.
September Garden Chores
Feed roses for the last time in September to help them prepare for blooming this fall and to allow plant growth to taper off before cold weather arrives.
Buy spring-flowering bulbs, such as daffodils, hyacinths and tulips, as soon as they are available at garden centers and store them in the vegetable crisper of your refrigerator until time to plant this fall; however, do not store with fruit. When it ripens fruit releases a gas called ethylene , which can cause the bulbs to rot
If you have fruit trees, be sure to remove any rotted fruit from the ground beneath the tree . Decayed, fruit left under the trees can harbor diseases which may survive the winter and inffect the trees the following growing season. Also, remove any spent plants from your vegetable garden to decrease pest problems next year. Many insects and diseases can survive the winter months in plant debris can re-emerge the following spring.
When leaves begin falling, rake and use them to start a compost pile or add to an existing one rather than sending them to your local landfill.
Now is also the time to start ordering garden catalogues for next year.
Its also a great time to start a new lawn or repair an existing one.
Start trading seeds for winter sowings