As we enjoy the beautiful and bountiful time of fall, there are several things we can do in the garden during this time when the weather cools down.
Get your hoop houses ready for the coming frost. If you have not already, decide which beds you want to hoop over winter. If you are container gardening, choose what containers you would like to cover.
Cold frames and hoop houses used last spring can be cleaned out and used to put seedlings before they go into the ground, or, simply readied to take plants out to extend your season. Lettuces can grow past frosty nights if protected, so you can sow some now for baby greens this fall from your protected garden areas.
If you want to create a garden for next year, or expand what you have, now is a great time to begin that process so nature does some of the work for you.
If you have bees, this is the time to check and see how they are storing honey and pollen for the winter and, depending on your mindset, be feeding them. There are still some great stands of goldenrod around for them to gather from.
Fall is also the time to dig potatoes, beets, carrots and other root crops.
You can still order your garlic to plant in mid to late October.
As you harvest your pumpkins and winter squash, pull out your spent spring and summer plants, store your harvest and put all that green matter either on your compost pile or directly back onto the beds as mulch. If you had unwanted bugs on your plants, the heat of the compost pile next spring will kill any of their larvae that might be on the plant leaves.
And remember not to leave your garden beds exposed over winter, so pile those leaves on top and use them for mulch around the crops you are overwintering !
