Ask a Master Gardener: The Joy of Fall Garden Tasks
By: Mary Townsley, PhD, Mobile County Master Gardener | MobileCountyMasterGardeners.org
Fall is officially here! Warm-season crops are likely spent, and some gardeners are dreaming of harvests from cool-weather crops. Fall-blooming perennials continue to grace our landscapes with gorgeous color and provide food sources for pollinators. Warm season weeds throughout the yard are still in their heyday, and cool-season weeds are just waiting for a bit of rain to start germinating. Oh, joy...gardeners must march on.
We are fortunate here on the Gulf Coast to have a long, mostly lovely fall. The average dates for the first frost in Mobile County range from mid-November in the northern part of the county to mid-December or later in the far south. So there is plenty of time to work on those fall garden tasks to take stock, clean up, and plant.
Take stock and plan...where can you add trees, native perennials, or nectar/pollen plants for pollinators? This is a good time to collect composite soil samples in those new areas for soil tests. Kits can be obtained from our local Extension Office. Setting new plants now allows root systems to be established before cold weather. Hold off planting new citrus trees until early spring to reduce damage from frost or freezing weather.
Fall can be a good time to trim or prune perennials, being mindful of those that have already set buds for spring, such as azaleas. Leave ornamental grasses, red yucca seed heads, black-eyed susans, etc. for winter garden interest and food for birds. Some perennial shrubs, such as firebush and nandina, set berries when flowers are spent, providing more food for foraging birds. While you are cleaning up, don't get too tidy. Piled up leaves can provide respite for overwintering insects and mulch for plants, or they can be added to compost.
In the vegetable garden, it’s too late to think about planting more warm season vegetables; they would not have sufficient warm weather to yield a productive crop. Next year, think about setting out transplants in late July for fall tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, and clean up debris from summer. Compost dead or dying plants that are disease-free. Set out transplants and seed for cool weather crops: leafy greens, brassicas (e.g., broccoli, cauliflower), root vegetables, onions, garlic, and an array of herbs. Many of these will survive frosts, and may taste better after a nip of cold. Nonetheless, you might want to plan to protect tender plants in event of frost or freeze with mulch, frost cloth, cloches, hoop tunnels, or cold frames.
If your plans don't include a robust fall vegetable garden, you might consider planting a mixed fall cover crop in that space. Non-legumes such as ryegrass provide biomass, while legumes fix nitrogen in the soil. During winter, these crops will help limit erosion, suppress weeds, and maintain soil moisture. Tilled in the spring, this crop will help to improve the soil organic matter.
Did you know that your yard is a free shopping bazaar for new plants in the fall? Collect seeds from perennials whose flowers are spent. Use organza party favor bags to save seed heads, letting seeds mature in place. Winter-sow those seeds to set out transplants in spring, or sow where you like in the early spring. Divide crowded perennials and bulbs, such as coneflowers, irises, and daylilies, then replant them in new beds. You can then plant spring-flowering bulbs, such as daffodils, snowdrops, or dwarf iris. In 4-5 years, you'll be able to divide these for more plants!
Finally, don't get overwhelmed with fall tasks. Even an hour a day can make a great dent. Pick a project and set a time limit. Remember, the leaves, overgrown clumps of perennials, and weeds aren't going anywhere...
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