While the weather has been warm the past few weeks, winter is just around the corner and now is the time to prepare your yard and garden for the upcoming cold months.
To keep things looking their best, here’s what you need to do:
Perennials
Cut the stems on most perennials after temperatures hit freezing, and mulch the soil around the plants as the weather becomes colder. It’s important to remember that although the weather has been warm lately, winter is on its way and there’s still a lot of work to be done to get your yard and gardens ready for the cold months.
Avoid working the cuttings into the soil to prevent the spread of diseases. As the season progresses mulch the soil around the plants to protect the roots. Avoid using heavy mulches that can pack or suffocate roots, and make sure to water once a month if the winter is particularly dry.
Turf
This is the perfect time to fertilize your lawn. If you fertilize it while it’s still green, it will be better prepared for winter and grow back more vigorously in the spring. Keep mowing your lawn to a 2½ to 3-inch height for as long as it stays green and avoid mowing it too short. It’s also a good idea to aerate the lawn and water it until it turns brown. Even then, water it once a month throughout the winter, especially if there is little snow.
The Vegetable Garden
After harvesting, make sure to pull up the old plants that insects may have laid eggs on, as this prevents the eggs from surviving the winter and hatching in the spring. You can also add well-rotted manure, compost, peat, or leaves to the soil in the fall to help it maintain its nutrients. For fall vegetables like winter squash and pumpkins, harvest them after the first light frost to prevent damage to the fruits.
Annual Flowers
Remove spent vines and foliage of annual flowers and compost them or dig them into the garden to help improve the soil. If the plants are diseased, discard them in the trash.
Weeds
Fall is the best time to get rid of weeds, as perennial weeds are more easily killed by fall sprays than in the summer. It’s important to remove them to prevent them from spreading.
Tree and Shrubs
During the fall, it’s important to limit fertilization, as too much nitrogen can stimulate late-season growth which can be damaging to trees and shrubs. However, continue to water trees and shrubs through the fall to ensure they have ample moisture for winter. Wrapping trees and shrubs can help prevent sun scald injury, so it’s recommended to wrap the trunks of deciduous trees with crepe-paper tree wrap by the first of November.