The weather is cooling down, but that doesn’t mean the fun is over! The weather is PERFECT for planting and tidying up your garden to prepare for winter. Doing all of your garden chores in the fall will make your spring season a whole lot easier, and prevent you from having to do chores in the winter… when you should be inside with a cup of tea reading a book by the fireplace.
Keep reading for your ULTIMATE list of to-dos for autumn, covering everything from your lawn, to planting, to perennial and vegetable gardens. Let’s get started!
DECOR
1. Change out your tired summer planters to festive fall planters using; vibrant mums or pansies, ornamental grasses, and beautiful foliage like dusty miller or Heuchera
2. Grab some straw bales, pumpkins, cornstalks, gourds & other fall decor from your favourite local garden centre AKA Oceanview Home and Garden, to compliment your stunning new planters!
LAWN
3. Overseed your lawn to fill in bare spots, and ensure a thicker lawn come next spring. Fall is the best time to overseed; while the ground is still warm and moisture is more plentiful for maximum germination.
4. Rake your leaves! A lawn of colourful leaves may look pretty, but a thick mat of leaves will block light and trap moisture leaving it decaying all winter.
5. Aerating your lawn will prevent the soil from getting too compacted. Compacted soil will be unable to take in moisture, nutrients and oxygen needed for growing a healthy lawn.
6. Fertilize your lawn using ‘Fafard Step 3 Lawn Fertilizer’, specially designed to prepare your lawn for winter weather, which will promote a better recovery the following spring.
PLANTING
7. The best time of year is here! It’s time to plant spring blooming bulbs like daffodils, tulip, crocus, hyacinth & More! Grab yourself a bag of ‘Fafard Transplanter’ to help each bulb root out, and a bag of ‘Fafard Fertilo’ to sprinkle on top of the soil to keep the pesky squirrels from digging them up 🐿
8. Plant garlic NOW to ensure a harvest time of late June to August.
9. Autumn is the best time to plant trees & shrubs, while the ground is still warm enough for the plants to root out, and the cooler air temperatures allow the soil to keep it’s moisture.
GARDENS
10. Mulch your perennial and shrub gardens to keep moisture and warmth around the root systems. Weed your gardens in the fall, so you have less to deal with come spring.
11. Add compost to your vegetable gardens to enrich the soil and remove all dying plants and debris preventing insects & diseases from overwintering your garden.
12. Use Wiltpruf on your broadleaf evergreens and other shrubs and trees to prevent moisture loss and winter-kill. Wiltpruf is a natural and organic way using pine resin to protect these plants for 3-4 months throughout the winter season.
13. Prune all shrubs after dormancy. The cool temperatures will not allow tender new growth to start that could be damaged in winter
14. A less enjoyable, but necessary task is to dig up tender bulbs like dalhias, ranunculus, gladiolus, etc. Store them in a cool, dark place in a container that allows air flow.
CLEAN & ORGANIZE
15. The last task of the season is to organize and clean all of your gardening tools with a mixture of water and detergent or soap, removing grease and grime. Once clean, sharpen the blades of your pruners to have them fresh and ready for the long awaited spring season.
Happy Planting and Happy Fall!🍂
