Fall cleanup chores are more important than others to keep your yard and gardens looking fantastic. They also set yourself up for success through winter and spring. Here are a few tasks never to skip:
1. Take Care of Garden Tools
Clean all your garden tools thoroughly. It’s also a good time to organize them as well. If you used a tool on a diseased plant, be sure to soak it in a 10% bleach and rinse well with clear water. Also replace any worn out or damaged tools.
2. Dig Up Non-Hardy Bulbs
Lifting plants generally involves digging them up carefully, ridding them of excess dirt, allowing the bulb or tuber to dry out, and storing in a cool dry place for the winter.
3. Mulch Fall Leaves
Fallen leaves make excellent mulch for your lawn. So don’t bag them up and throw them away. Mulch all your beds with shredded leaves every autumn. To do this fall cleanup chore yourself, just run a pile of leaves over with a lawn mower. The leaf mulch will be ready when the leaves are in quarter sized pieces.
4. Turn Over the Soil
It’s a hard job, but well worth the effort!
5. Create Brush and Yard Debris Piles
Along with disease and insect free garden debris, make a pile of leaves in the yard. In spring, use this mulch to put around plants.
6. Store Garden Hoses
Drain garden hoses and bring them in when you are done, since water left in hoses over winter can lead to cracking and bursting.
7. Protect Your Roses
Trim tall canes and cover roses with straw or evergreen boughs to protect the plants from cold weather. Make sure the rose cones are vented. You can cover roses with dry leaves and wrap them with hardware cloth or burlap. Before covering roses, clean up any diseased leaves.
8. Mark Plant Locations
Use sturdy plant markers to note the location of any new perennials, bulbs, or seeds you might forget about come spring.
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