Photography by Melissa Ozawa.
This is part of a series with Perfect Earth Project, a nonprofit dedicated to toxic-free, nature-based gardening, on how you can be more sustainable in your landscapes at home.
After weeks of hot, muggy weather, the temperatures in the Northeast have cooled and we’re beginning to see the signs of fall—apple picking, here we come!
1. Don’t cut back perennials and grasses.
Milkweed pods opened to expose their downy seeds amidst a sea of goldenrod. Wait until spring to make your cuts when cavity-nesting insects, like native yellow-faced, leaf-cutter, and carpenter bees, as well as some moths and wasps, are looking for hollow stems to start their broods.
Autumn meadow of asters and goldenrod provides habitat for insects and wildlife, as well as a buffet for insect-eating birds and later for seed eaters, like finches, when the flowers turn to seeds.
She removes any from her property and places them in a vinegar bath, before rinsing them and eventually adding them to her compost pile.
2. Do clean up the vegetable garden.
It’s good practice to clean up your vegetable garden.
“They do die back with frost, but they’ll form a mat which insulates the soil over the winter,” she says.
Camassia are native to the U.S. and are frequented by native bees and other pollinators.
3. Plant native bulbs and your favorite spring ephemerals.
While you’re digging in your tulips and narcissus, add some native bulbs to your garden, such as Camassia (there are species native to different regions of the U.S.) and Brodiaea or Triteleia (a western spring-blooming bulb).
4. Leave the leaves and other biomass.
Months and butterflies, like the ethereal Luna Moth which weaves leaves into its cocoon, overwinter in leaf litter beneath trees.
Gas-powered leaf blowers are noisy and spew incredible amounts of pollution into the air (According to the California Air Resources Board, a commercial gas-powered blower for one hour produces the same amount of emissions as driving a sedan 11,000 miles.
Fallen branches can be turned into a habitat pile. Gather any branches that have fallen and start building a habitat pile.
At Perfect Earth, we recommend reducing your lawn as much as possible: Expand your perennial beds, turn turf into meadow, grow more native shrubs and blooms for a habitat garden.
5. Overseed your lawn.
“In heavily trafficked areas where the soil is compacted, stick a fork in the ground and wiggle it around,” she says.
6. Clean and store your garden tools
Before storing them for the winter, clean and dry all your garden tools.