As the weather cools and the growing season winds down, a little effort now can set the stage for a healthier, more beautiful landscape next year. Here are some key fall tasks, put together by your knowledgeable friends at B.B. Barns, to help your garden transition smoothly into winter, and come back even stronger in spring!
1. First, Tidy Up, But Leave Habitat for Pollinators
- Remove spent summer annuals, veggie plants, and diseased material
- Skip cutting back perennials with hollow stems or seed heads; many native bees and beneficial insects overwinter inside them
- Leave ornamental grasses and flower stalks standing for winter interest and wildlife
2. Next, Plant for Spring
- Plant spring-flowering bulbs (daffodils, tulips, hyacinths)
- Add perennials, shrubs, and trees. Fall planting builds stronger root systems.
- Sow wildflowers or cool-season flower seeds for early spring color
3. Prep Veggie Beds with Cover Crop
- Improve soil health, reduce erosion, and suppress weeds by planting fall cover crops such as:
- Crimson Clover – Fixes nitrogen, attracts pollinators in spring
- Winter Rye – Protects soil, adds organic matter, excellent for weed suppression
- Hairy Vetch – Adds nitrogen, improves soil structure
- Oats – Quick cover, winter-kills for easy spring bed prep
- Sow cover crops in empty veggie beds by mid to late fall
- Cut or till them under in spring before planting your next crops
4. Garden Bed & Lawn Care
- Top off garden beds with compost or organic amendments
- Mulch perennials, shrubs, and trees (keep mulch off trunks/stems)
- Divide and replant overcrowded perennials
- Overseed fescue or cool-season lawns
- Apply fall lawn fertilizer to promote strong roots
- Rake leaves (or mulch them into the lawn to feed the soil)
5. Protect Your Plants
- Water deeply before hard freeze, especially for new plantings
- Cover or wrap tender plants if needed
- Move containers to sheltered spots near your home
6. Finally, Maintain Your Tools & Supplies
- Clean and store garden tools
- Drain hoses and winterize irrigation systems
- Sharpen pruners, loppers, and shears for winter pruning
Pro Tips for Zone 7
- Many trees, shrubs, and perennials can be planted well into November
- Delay cutting back perennials until late winter to support overwintering pollinators
- Cover crops improve veggie beds naturally, so no synthetic fertilizers needed in spring
- Use fallen leaves as mulch or compost; it’s nature’s free soil booster
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