The Ultimate Fall Garden Checklist of Things to Do

Fall is invariably a season of mixed emotions for most gardeners. For some of us, it’s a time to start winding down, kicking back, and dreaming of that first spring planting. For others, it just signals a new round of work to be done!

Whether you want to squeeze the most out of your garden as the warm season comes to a close or just get off to a running start come the following spring, you need to take care of these action items when autumn starts to creep in.

Grab your gloves and spade, and we will get right into it.

Extend the Season

The close of summer doesn’t have to be the end of your gardening adventure. The following steps will help you extend the season so you can keep right on going well into fall and even the winter!

• Plant your fall crops. If there are any fall or winter veggies or other plants you’re looking forward to, the time to plant them is at the very end of summer or the first two weeks of fall. Get them planted without delay!
• Set up a polytunnel or greenhouse. For your other plants that developed slowly, staggered harvests, or highly productive growers you aren’t willing to give up on yet, maintain the conditions they need by setting up a greenhouse or hoop house to keep them warm and protected.
• Protect sensitive plants. You can’t always count on the forecaster to be right. You should protect sensitive plants that you aren’t bringing indoors by wrapping them with wool covers, bubble wrap, or other materials that can insulate them from chilly weather. An unexpected cold snap could be the end if you aren’t careful!
• Put up row covers. To protect cold-sensitive veggies or ornamentals. Whether you want to go with plastic or wool is up to you, just make sure you get them up before it gets too chilly. Just make sure you get them up so your plants can stay happy and healthy for a few more weeks.
• Build a cold frame. Raised beds and smaller installations can be protected from chilly weather using a cold frame, or you can build one especially for select plants you want to keep alive as things cool off. A cold frame is simply a raised, thick-walled structure with a transparent, hinged top. Think of it like a tiny greenhouse!

Give Your Garden Plot a Once Over

Get those leaves up. It’s true that leaves will supply nutrients to grass and soil when they break down, but resist the temptation to just leave them lying. Intact leaves block light, air, and moisture, which will hurt your garden in the long run, especially going into winter. Rake them up if you aren’t mulching them.

Don’t slack off on weeding. Like I

said above, cold weather brings out a sigh of relief for some people. Plants are slowing down and dying back, and that includes annoying weeds. But only some of them! Keep a sharp eye out for cool weather weeds at this time because they will be springing up in your garden and your lawn. I know it’s a bummer, but you have to keep weeding…

• Clean out planters, beds, and rows. Get rid of all plant debris and dead plants, dropped leaves, fallen fruit and blooms, live bugs, dead bugs, and everything else. A clean sweep now makes for a much nicer spring. If you have any badly depleted or questionable soil, excavate and replace it at this time.
• Fertilize when beds and containers are empty. If you’ve completely cleaned out beds or containers and dealt with soil replacement if needed, go ahead and fertilize to replenish the soil and get ready for follow-on planting.

Plant Any New Trees and Shrubs

Beginning green thumbs often don’t suspect that fall is the very best time
to plant many trees and shrubs. Warm soil temperatures and mild conditions, combined with diligent care, will give them a great jump on early season growth next year.

• Plant before the real cold arrives. Don’t put this off! If you are planting trees or shrubs in the ground, they need to be planted as soon as
  the worst of the summer heat breaks in the middle or end of September (depending on how far south you are). Warm soil temperatures are still critical for the early-life root growth of many species: Silver maples, sugar maples, red oaks, sycamores and serviceberries are all garden favorites that need to be planted as soon as summer comes to a close.
• Water generously in fall weather. Cooler weather does not mean your plants can get by with less water. Give these new
  plantings plenty of water so they are properly hydrated before true winter weather arrives. This is especially crucial for all evergreens. Water deeply, enough to wet the top 12 inches of soil. Expect to water about once every week and a half, maybe less often if your soil is heavy with clay.

Protect Against Pests

Don’t let your guard down
when fall arrives! Many pests become highly active in the cooler weather, seeking shelter and warmth.

• Protect trunks and stems from critters. Mammalian pests can destroy plants quickly, far faster than insects, and so special protection is needed.
  Natural deterrent sprays (peppermint oil, mothballs, predator urine, etc.) cages, and trunk wraps will take care of the issue.
• Keep pests out. Fall weather will see rodents and bugs scurrying for shelter, food, and places to bed down and hibernate. You don’t want that to be inside your
  shed, greenhouses, covered rows or anywhere else! Look for gaps, cracks, and crevices where they might get in, or evidence of chewing and other forced entry, and use expanding foam, mesh, and weather stripping to keep them out.

Be Ready for Springtime

Just like fall, spring is a season of duality for gardeners: it’s exciting, but there’s so much to do when it arrives! The mountain of chores seriously hurts the fun factor, so give Future You a present by taking care of these early-season chores right now in the fall.

• Lay mulch to stop erosion. Winter weather can cause tons of erosion, as can fall rains. It’s especially important to prevent it considering we are going to be cleaning out and pulling back in and around our garden. Put down a fresh layer of mulch or straw to prevent it.
• Divide herbs in early fall. If you have planted or container herbs divide them and replant. Keep them alive and you’ll be looking at an even bigger harvest. Basil, mint, thyme, rosemary, oregano, and more besides will all divide nicely.
• Cover root veggies. Carrots, turnips, sweet potatoes, and other root veggies can persist well into the winter if you cover them to protect them before the arrival of said weather. You can use blankets, thick layers of mulch, or other materials to protect these veggies. Turnips, carrots, and more also develop sweeter flavors and crisper textures after several frosts, so it’s worth keeping them alive!
• Do a soil pH test. I always like to do a soil pH test in the autumn. This will let me know what I’m facing for any winter harvest I have planned, and also gives me a better idea of what it will be like come springtime. Testing now means you’ve got plenty of time to adjust as needed.
• Empty your compost bins and spread your compost. If you haven’t fertilized, empty out your compost bins and spread it out in your garden, beds, containers, and elsewhere. It’s great for soil texture and nutrient levels, and you don’t want to hang on to compost too long anyway. Starting fresh for next year is wise.

Tend to Your Containers

Anything you have growing in pots and other containers has special needs you should tend to when summer rolls over to fall.

• Remove summer annuals. The summer
  annuals in your window boxes, pots, planters, hangers, and elsewhere are probably slowing down and dying off by mid-fall. If your daisies, petunias, begonias, zinnias and so forth are spent, remove them now.
• Insulate or relocate delicate potted plants. Perennials or any other plants that are still healthy and productive can be kept alive all through the winter if you move them to a more suitable environment. This could be in your greenhouse, a sunroom, closed porch, windowsill in your home, or anywhere else. For containers that are too big or troublesome to move, wrap them up with bubble wrap or other insulating material so the roots don’t freeze.
• Safely store earthenware pots, trays, and holders. Repeated freezing can easily shatter or crack even the sturdiest materials, and earthenware containers of all kinds are extremely prone to this. If you aren’t moving them all to a warmer location, empty them out, dry them thoroughly, and store them in your shed or another weather-protected place.

Take Care of Your Tools

As busy as you might be in your fall garden, there are going to be some tools that will be put up for the season until next year. And eventually, when winter arrives, they will all be put up!

• Drain and clean rain barrels or containers before it gets too cold. Easily forgotten with disastrous results. Don’t leave rain barrels and other water containers to freeze and burst, or you’ll be facing a gnarly bill when the weather warms up. While you’re at it, give them a good cleaning to keep mold, algae, and diseases at bay.

• Drain fuel from power tools. Never, ever leave fuel in your tools at the end of the season! That’s a great way to get varnish in your engine and a huge headache come spring. Once you’re done with trimmers, mowers, tillers, and other tools, drain all the fuel out of them and safely dispose of it.
• Scrub away rust. Any of your tools that have a trace of rust on them are going to get five times worse as the weather starts to get cold and wet. Hoes, shovels, spades, shears, saws, pruners, and more should all be scrubbed free of rust in the fall.
• Sharpen blades and spades. While you’ve got your tools out, bust out the stones and files and bring those edges back to life. Sharp tools inflict less damage on plants and require much less effort to use. Once again, Future You will be very grateful that you took the time to do this in the spring! If this isn’t something you can do yourself, have your significant other or a professional do it for you.
• Oil to prevent corrosion. Once you’ve removed dirt from handles, clean and sharpen as needed. Oil them generously so they’ll stay protected over the long months; oil will dry up and run off, so a little extra helps.
• Store tools properly. Keep them up off the ground and out of the dirt to better protect them from moisture. Use tool racks or hang them from the joists or on the walls of your shed.

Maintain Water Features

This is another set of chores that will be much harder if you wait too long, and damage can possibly result.

• Drain ponds and fountains to prevent cracking. Installed ponds, water fountains, bubblers, and similar water features should be drained before the first hard freeze. As ever, frozen water is powerful and can easily bust seals, split seams, and crack containers. Save yourself a ton of money and grief by draining them early on.
• Clean up, if needed. After draining the above-mentioned water features, give them a good scrubbing while the weather is still mild. Remove slime, algae, mold, muck, and anything else that shouldn’t be there. Consider that these features can sometimes be a breeding ground for diseases that can affect your plants and might also serve to attract garden pests!
• Inspect lights, pumps, etc., then store. Many such water features will have wired or solar lighting, pumps, and other mechanisms that need maintenance over the run. Look over tubing, clean lenses, and deal with any issues or irregularities that you find. Don’t forget to drain (if applicable), thoroughly dry, and properly store all of these components to protect them!
• Prune back aquatic plants. If any of your ponds have water plants in them, take care of them at this time, assuming you are leaving water in them. Dead or diseased fronds and stems, especially those that are above the surface, will result in sick and dying plants as the weather gets worse. Taking care of them during mild weather also gives them better prospects for recovery.

Winterize Shed and Outbuildings

Lastly, spend a little bit of time getting your buildings and other structures ready for cold, wet weather.

• Check for and fix leaks. Leaks can be disastrous, rusting tools, ruining fertilizers, and causing mold inside your garden shed. Check over the inside and near the ground or foundation for leaks after it rains and do what you
  need to do to fix them.
• Organize. A little time spent now organizing will make for big efficiency gains in the springtime. Don’t leave a disorganized cluster of stuff and supplies that you’ll have to sort through when the weather warms up. And definitely don’t count on remembering where you put that pack of tags, seeds, or tools!
• Paint any surfaces that need painting. Like I said, wet, cold weather is hard on everything. Bare wood and metal will rot and rust quickly if unfinished or if the finish is compromised. Make sure you’ve got clear weather to take care of it, then paint or seal as needed.