Summer is winding down, but a gardener’s work is never done. Fall is approaching and there are a few things you need to do to prepare your garden for its arrival.
Summer is winding down, but a gardener’s work is never done. Fall is approaching and there are a few things you need to do to prepare your garden for its arrival.
Featured photograph (above) by John Merkl, from Gardening 101: How to Prune Roses.
Featured photograph (above) by John Merkl, from Gardening 101: How to Prune Roses.
Photograph by Scott Nelson via Flickr, from Got Powdery Mildew in Your Garden?
Photograph by Scott Nelson via Flickr, from Got Powdery Mildew in Your Garden?
1. Clean up the dead and diseased.
1. Clean up the dead and diseased.
Powdery mildew on a tomato plant. Composting is not recommended unless you are sure that the pathogen can be killed by a properly maintained compost pile.
Powdery mildew on a tomato plant. Composting is not recommended unless you are sure that the pathogen can be killed by a properly maintained compost pile.
2. Plan for next year’s garden.
2. Plan for next year’s garden.
Photograph by Meredith Swinehart, from Foolproof Spring Bulbs for a Beginner.
Photograph by Meredith Swinehart, from Foolproof Spring Bulbs for a Beginner.
Planning for spring bulbs. Now is the time to order tulips, daffodils, and other spring-flowering bulbs.
Planning for spring bulbs. Now is the time to order tulips, daffodils, and other spring-flowering bulbs.
Photograph by Conservation Media Library via Flickr, from The Garden Decoder: What Is a ‘Cover Crop’?
Photograph by Conservation Media Library via Flickr, from The Garden Decoder: What Is a ‘Cover Crop’?
Cereal rye is a great cover crop that can overwinter. Cover crops can enrich the soil, stop weeds from taking over in empty vegetable beds, and prevent soil erosion (if you live in a dry and windy area).
Cereal rye is a great cover crop that can overwinter. Cover crops can enrich the soil, stop weeds from taking over in empty vegetable beds, and prevent soil erosion (if you live in a dry and windy area).
3. Plant a cover crop.
3. Plant a cover crop.
4. Shop the sales.
4. Shop the sales.
Flora Grubb’s new outpost in Los Angeles.
Flora Grubb’s new outpost in Los Angeles.
Photograph by Caitlin Atkinson, courtesy of Flora Grubb, from Shopper’s Diary: Flora Grubb, Now in Los Angeles.
Photograph by Caitlin Atkinson, courtesy of Flora Grubb, from Shopper’s Diary: Flora Grubb, Now in Los Angeles.
Large clumps of dahlias can be divided.
Large clumps of dahlias can be divided.
Photograph by Mimi Giboin for Gardenista, from DIY: How to Store Dahlia Tubers in Winter.
Photograph by Mimi Giboin for Gardenista, from DIY: How to Store Dahlia Tubers in Winter.
5. Divide perennials.
5. Divide perennials.
