Now’s the Time to Put the Vegetable Garden to Bed

 

  

Putting the vegetable garden to bed in the fall is a process which includes a complete clean up, improving the garden soil and preparing for next spring. It’s important to remember that what you don’t accomplish in the garden now, you’ll need to do in the spring, when you’re eager to plant your garden, not clean it up. Garden chores done now, allow you to focus on planting in the spring, knowing that your garden beds are healthy, and your soil is ready.  

  

Before you start with the actual cleanup, take some time to make some notes in your journal about how your garden did this year, including which plants did well and which ones didn’t. Better yet, use your smart phone to take some pictures to go along with your written journal. Doing these things will help jog your memory when it comes to choosing which varieties of vegetables and tomato plants you want to grow next year.   

  

Now that you’re ready to start, plan to do a thorough cleaning of your vegetable garden.  Leaving tomato plants, cucumber vines and other vegetable plant debris in your garden after you've finished harvesting, will provide hiding places for pests and plant diseases, giving them a head start on your garden next spring.

The second reason for fall cleanup is to facilitate adding organic material to your garden bed while the soil is warm and workable. Healthy soil is key to your garden and with your garden or raised bed clean, now’s the time to amend your soil. Plan to add 2" to 3" of organic materials to your existing soil. This can be in the form of packaged organic compost, granular humate and earthworm castings that you can easily transport and work into the garden. Adding organic material will improve soil structure and increase microbial activity, which leads to stronger root development and improved nutrient uptake, which will help improve yields overall next season.

Three, protect your garden soil through the winter with cover crops and mulch.  Winter rye, buckwheat and oats are good choices for cover crops.  Cover crops are planted now to protect your garden soil’s microbial life as well as improve soil structure through the winter season. Tree leaves are also a good choice to protect your soil through the winter.

Shredded leaves can be broadcast over the garden, providing protection for soil structure and microbial life. Come spring, the decomposing leaves can be worked into the garden soil or added to your compost pile. Added together, cover crops and organic material will build and maintain healthy, microbial-rich soil, a sure way to improve the yields in your garden next season.  Make fall garden clean up a part of your routine. It will set up your vegetable garden for a great start next spring.