It’s fall. We will forgive you for thinking that now is the time to relax and cut back on the work in your yard. We are approaching winter, and the busy summer season is finally dwindling. However, now is the time to prep for spring! If you want your lawn and garden to be flourishing by the time April rolls around, it’s essential to do the prep work now. Here, we lay out what to do over fall and winter – so that your garden reaches its full potential in 2022.
Prep for Spring – Harvest Existing Plants
If you have any plants, vegetables, or fruit that need harvesting, get this done first. Make sure that any dead or dying plants are disposed of or composted.
Rake and Layer Your Garden
Spend some time raking your garden. Try and rake through all plant leaves so that your garden and soil are exposed. This step is especially important if you have plants that showed signs of any mildew. You want your plants to have the best chance of growth for the spring season, so get rid of any plants that showed signs of disease or decay so that it hopefully doesn’t happen next spring.
You can use any fallen or shredded leaves in your compost and fertilizer for your garden beds. We’ll tell you how to prep garden beds in the next paragraph.
Prep For Spring Garden Beds
Now is the perfect time to prep your spring beds! You should replenish your plant beds twice a year because they use the nutrients from the soil as plants grow.
Replenish the garden beds this fall to ensure that your plants make the most of their spring growth. You can do this by incorporating plenty of organic matter into the soil for the plants to soak up eventually. Remember to do this when the soil is damp, so the nutrients have the best chance possible to mix with the existing soil.
If you have plants already in the soil bed, focus on the topdressing. Topdressing is simply adding 2-3 inches of compost to the top layer of the soil. If you don’t have existing plants in the ground, mix 2-3 inches of compost deep and well into the bed. Then, cover in another 2-4 inches of mulch to stop weeds.
Figure Out What Worked for Your Garden
Were there any vital signs of damage or growth in your garden? What plants thrived in the conditions? These are all critical elements to note if you want to make the most of the growth seasons next year. Get a jump on things! Make these notes while you’re in prep mode so that you know what to grow in the spring and summer.
Fall might be the season where you want to relax. It’s been a busy summer season, and there are six months to go until the spring season kicks off. But, get ahead with your garden. Now is the time to plan, prepare, and get ahead for the busy growth seasons. By executing these steps, your garden will be in the best shape for next year. If you want more advice on how best to prep for spring and summer, get in touch with 410 Lawn Guy. We’d be happy to help!
