Seasonal

Autumn clean-up in the vegetable garden

September 5, 2019

It is so fascinating to watch a vegetable garden go through its lifecycle. In late winter and early spring, there is so much anticipation and so much planning to get the garden organized. Then there is the delight of harvesting the first cool season crops, such as lettuce and spinach. By early summer, the garden is usually perfect. As the season progresses, the cool-season crops begin to fade and we look forward to the warm season crops, like tomatoes, cucumbers, and eggplant. Finally, in Autumn it’s time to clean up the vegetable garden so that it’s ready for the following season or ready for a fall garden with cool season crops.

Let’s look at clean up practices you should be thinking about in Autumn. First, however, why are these practices important? Most gardeners reuse the same soil from year to year and so it makes sense that we strive to improve soil health and prevent disease. If you take the time to clean up in Autumn, the start of the next gardening season will be more enjoyable.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Benjamin Franklin

Red Clover Cover Crop

Here are three areas to consider in your Autumn clean-up plan.

1. IMPROVE SOIL HEALTH

As an organic gardener, I have learned that it is my role to ensure that the soil is constantly rejuvenated. Autumn is a great time to prepare the soil for the ‘rest’ that it will receive during fall and winter.

Consider performing a soil test once every three years. Soil testing will provide you with soil pH and various nutrient levels. Specific recommendations will then be given for amendments that are needed in your soil. Remember, it takes time for the soil pH to adjust and nutrients to be incorporated. Amending the soil in Autumn will allow the time needed for these amendments to be incorporated naturally. Here are two reputable companies that perform soil testing:International Ag Labs and Logan Labs. If you live near a university that has an agricultural school, they likely perform soil tests. For example, in New Jersey, Rutgers University has a soil testing service.
Apply one to two inches of compost or manure to each garden bed. Compost builds the organic matter in the soil adding nutrients and building soil texture. I use a broadfork to first aerate the soil, apply one inch of compost and then lightly rake the compost into the soil.
Plant a cover crop (also referred to as green manure) to provide food for microorganisms, suppress weeds and provide nutrients to the soil. Cover crops can include white/red clover, rye, oats, peas, hairy vetch. Cover crops need to be cut down and incorporated into the soil two weeks ahead of spring vegetable planting. I tend to plant cover crops that are easy to incorporate into the soil in spring such as white/red clover and hairy vetch.

Soil Test Report Sample

2. PREVENT DISEASE AND PESTS

Remove all plant debris and weeds from the garden beds. Healthy plant debris (excluding weeds) can be added to your compost pile. If you suspect that the plant was infected with a disease, do not add the plant to your compost pile. Discard the plant along with the weeds. This is important; you spend a lot of time managing your compost pile and you want to ensure that you are not adding any diseased material that will find its way back in the garden. Cleaning up debris eliminates places for disease-causing organisms to live and survive over the winter. Pulling weeds in Autumn will save hours of weeding in the spring.
If slugs/snails are a problem, consider applying a slug bait to reduce the number of slugs in the soil come spring. Choose a bait that is harmless to pets and children such as an OMRI certified bait. Autumn is breeding time for slugs.
Disinfect your plant containers with a mixture of bleach and water (1-part bleach to 9-parts water) and then clean with soap and water. If salt deposits are present, steel wool can be used to remove. If containers are left outdoors over the winter, turn them upside down to prevent water buildup.

Broadfork

Compost

3. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

Clean, disinfect and store your garden tools
Drain and store your garden hoses and winterize faucets
Sharpen tools that have cutting edges
Store your seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides
Do a ‘year in review’ of your garden. What varieties worked and what didn’t work? What will you do differently the next garden season?
Develop your garden plan for next season and remember to plan for the rotation of crops. See my blog on “Crop rotation for the home gardener”.

Autumn Seedlings

Finally, if you are considering an Autumn vegetable garden, here are some cool-season vegetables to plant. In addition, you may want to check out this article titled “Getting the most from your Fall Vegetable Garden“.

Brassica

Greens

Root Crops

1. Broccoli

2. Cabbage

3. Kohlrabi

4. Kale

5. Brussel sprouts

1. Chard

2. Lettuce

3. Spinach

1. Radish

2. Carrots

3. Onions

4. Garlic

5. Potatoes

REFERENCES

University of Missouri Fall Garden Cleanup

Michigan State University Extension Fall Cleanup in Vegetable Gardens

University of Carolina Extension Four Steps for Fall Cleanup in the Garden

Grace

Grace is a Master Gardener who is fortunate to garden in two vastly different USDA gardening zones. Firstly, during the spring and summer, she gardens in New Jersey in zone 6b. Secondly, she gardens in Florida in zone 9a during the fall and winter. Therefore, she has a great perspective on the benefits and challenges of gardening under immensely different conditions.