Gardening Checklist for Late Summer: Preparing Your Yard Before Autumn Sets In
**Late Summer Gardening: Preparing for a Thriving Fall Garden**
As the days grow shorter and cooler temperatures set in, it's time to get ready for a bountiful fall garden. Here are some key chores to focus on during late summer to ensure a vibrant and healthy garden through autumn and into winter.
Firstly, assess your garden to identify plants that have thrived and those that may need attention. This helps you prioritize cleanup and other tasks effectively. Remove fallen leaves, spent plants, dead growth, and weeds to decrease pest and disease risks and create a healthier growing environment.
Testing and amending the soil is crucial at this time. Check nutrient levels and pH, and add organic matter like compost to enrich the soil, improve drainage, and oxygen flow to roots. Aerating the soil can also be beneficial.
Planting fall-season favourites is another important task. Chrysanthemums, ornamental kale, pansies, cosmos, zinnias, bee balm, and sunflowers can be added to maintain colour and support pollinators through cooler months.
Mulching garden beds is a must to protect plant roots from frost, retain soil moisture, and suppress weeds. Mulch helps regulate soil temperature in preparation for colder weather.
Maintaining garden structures like trellises, fences, and supports is also essential. Tighten or reinforce as needed to ensure functionality and aesthetics.
Prune and deadhead summer plants to improve airflow, reduce disease, and encourage healthy growth. For example, prune tomato suckers and remove damaged foliage.
Plan ahead for fall crops by sowing or transplanting vegetables like broccoli, kale, carrots, and beets in late July or early August to extend your harvest into autumn. Root vegetables like carrots, beets, radishes, turnips, and rutabaga can be planted in August.
Weeding and watering less is expected during the cooler temperatures of late summer. Most leafy greens will do well into fall, and it's a good time for planting bok choy, arugula, collards, endive, lettuce, mustard, Swiss chard, and watercress.
In early September, inspect any houseplants that have spent the summer outdoors for pests or diseases, and prepare to bring them back indoors. Tender perennial bulbs like canna, dahlia, and Colocasia should be dug up to be stored in a garage, unheated basement, or root cellar for the winter.
August is also a good time to tackle lawn repairs or sowing of new lawns, giving four-six weeks for grass seed to germinate and establish prior to heavy frost. Late summer is the time to start the last round of crops for the growing season, with some of the most rewarding crops being leafy greens, root veggies, and brassicas.
Remember that late summer is the time to harvest many late-season crops and think about how to store or process them. With these chores taken care of, your garden will be well-prepared for a thriving fall season. Happy gardening!
As you work on preparing your garden for a thriving fall season, don't forget to plant fall-season favorites such as chrysanthemums, ornamental kale, and pansies in your home-and-garden, contributing to a vibrant and colorful landscape. Also, don't ignore the importance of maintaining your home-and-garden lifestyle by mulching garden beds and caring for garden structures, creating a healthier growing environment for your plants and promoting their longevity.
