Fall gardening checklist

Summer has been great: long days, short nights, endless sun, and ice cream for every meal of the day. In the burning heat, we much preferred laying on the beach and taking a dip in the sea to sweating in the backyard while digging a vegetable garden. Before heading inside for winter, it is wise to tie up all loose ends in gardening. We have created an essential gardening checklist of the most important fall gardening tasks to ensure a fresh and vibrant spring.

Fall clean-up

This is the time to get rid of everything unwanted and unnecessary in your garden. Remove fallen fruit from the ground and collapsed stems, dying leaves, and blossoms from herbaceous perennials. This way there are fewer bugs and a smaller chance of plants catching a nasty disease.

Collect fallen leaves from the lawn and paths- those things can get slippery! Compost everything unless it is diseased- nothing beats a natural fertilizer plus it saves you the trouble of worrying about where to put all this biodegradable waste. If there are still some leaf leftovers, rake them into loose piles and run the mower over them- now that is some first-class mulch to protect your plants from freezing.

Mow that lawn

Fallen leaves on the lawn can be a risk not only for you and your slippery shoes but for the grass itself as well. Do not wait until all the leaves have fallen, work that rake as soon as possible. Wet soil + leaves stuck together = suffocation for the grass. Although the grass growth slows down over the winter months, it will not stop completely so mow your lawn as late into the fall as possible- or risk having brown patches in the spring. Starting from the end of September, slowly start raising the height at which you cut the grass. On your last date with the lawnmower, leave the grass at least 2,5 inches long. This will help the lawn collect more nutrients and help survive the winter better. Before putting your lawnmower to bed, drain the fuel tank.

‘Tis the season to plant bulbs

As cliché as this sounds, time flies, and soon after Santa Claus has left, Easter Bunny is knocking on your door and before you know it, spring is in full bloom. Well, at least in your neighbor’s garden. If you want to have a luscious garden of your own already at the beginning of spring, fall is the time to plant spring-flowering bulbs. Tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, Siberian and draw irises, anemones, and crocuses are only some examples of flowers that can be planted in the fall months.

Storing is caring

Unless you want a discolored parasol or a rusty grill, it is better to put away your garden furniture and tools sooner rather than later. Might seem obvious, but people often leave this step too late. Wipe down the furniture with mild soap and water and store in the garage or shed. If you are a little tight on the storage room, protective covers can help you out. Scrub excess dirt from garden tools and oil the metal parts to prevent rust- a simple vegetable oil will do.

Disconnect and drain your garden hose to keep it from freezing. On a warm day, run the hose up over a railing or over the shed to remove all the water. Roll it up and let it hibernate somewhere warm and dry.

Do not forget to empty all outdoor containers and decor or bring in those, which can not stand low temperatures. Store them upside down. Otherwise, you may find yourself splurging on a new set of pots rather than a fresh pair of sneakers in the spring.

There are, of course, many other gardening works to be done before winter. but these are good starting points. We encourage everyone to enjoy the beautiful fall weather until possible: leave the stuffy gym for the cold winter months and grow your muscles by working in your garden!

If you’d like to receive updates about similar content or new NoCry products in your inbox, do not hesitate to subscribe to our newsletter! We’ll throw in a 10% discount for your next order as a welcome gift?