10

That Will

Fall Gardening Practices

Protect

Enrich

&

Your Soil in Winter

Place healthy removed plant material into your compost pile.

1. Dispose of old  garden debris.

A natural way to prevent erosion is by planting a cool-season vegetable like lettuce or spinach.

2. Plant a cool-weather crop.

Winter garden cover crops, like winter rye, hairy vetch, and winter peas and other legumes are grown solely for their soil-building capabilities.

3. Plant a cover crop.

Organic amendments like kelp meal, blood meal, and bone meal are loaded with beneficial nutrients that gardeners can add in fall to promote healthy soil during cold months and into spring.

4. Add organic amendments and fertilizers.

Applying manure in fall ensures it will age and that the nutrients will be available for early spring planting.

5. Add manure  to garden beds.

This helps stabilize the temperature of soil right around freezing, and with luck avoid freezing and thawing cycles, which are detrimental to plants.

6. Mulch around  perennial plants.

For example, did afternoon sun do a number on one of your perennials? If so, think about how to introduce  shade for next summer.

7. Map and plan for  the next season.

If soil is too acidic to grow vegetables, start adding lime. If it is too alkaline, begin adding sulfur.

8. Adjust soil pH.

The specific timing and sprays to add can get complicated, so research instructions by fruit type and product information, or call a tree service professional to perform this fall task.

9. Apply dormant sprays  to fruit trees.

After removing summer garden debris, add a layer of compost to the soil surface, and use a broadfork or shovel to gently pierce the surface and open it up to enable air and organic matter to permeate the soil.

10. Aerate established soil.

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