It’s mid to late summer and fall is just around the corner. What are your plans? Clean up the garden and prep for spring? Or, start a fall garden? Both take some work and planning, so let’s take a look at how to do it!
Fall Garden Clean Up
After your summer plants have given all they can give- you can pull them up or, leave the roots in the ground and cut the tops off. This actually gives nutrients back into the soil by letting them decompose without disrupting the area. Pluck away the weeds and feed them to the chickens along with the plants that are done producing.
Compost
Next, if you’ve used the Back to Eden Gardening Method that we have discussed in previous blogs, you’ll want to pull back your top layer of much. Then you can enrich your soil with compost, or chicken/cow manure. By doing this in the fall, it gives the manure plenty of time to break down and not be deemed “hot.” Fresh manure will burn your plants and can usher in disease. Chicken poop can be used as fertilizer after it’s sat for 3 months at the very least.
At our house, we rotate our compost pile in a black bin to an open pile in the corner of the yard. Our black bin compost is where we dump fresh chicken poop, fruit, leaves, fruit and veggie scraps, and chemical free grass clippings. Once I rotate this pile from the bin to the open pile, I know the open pile can be used in 3 months as fertilizer for my garden. I will not add anything else to the open pile until I use it. Then I’ll do the process again. Check out our compost blog for more on composting details.
So, once you’ve added your compost, rake the mulch back over it. You can use “hot” manure in the fall if you don’t plan on planting anything, because it can break down over the fall and winter. This is also the time you would want to add more mulch! It will have time to break down before planting season. The mulch provides nutrients and moisture retention for the soil. Now, you’re ready for your garden to rest until spring time!
Fall Garden Plants
If you decide to plant some things for fall, you’ll want to check and see what is compatible. Also, have a space already for it. Some of the summer plants can keep giving for a while! Fall garden planting can start as early as end of July/early August.
This year, I plan on planting Brussel sprouts, broccoli, carrots, winter lettuce and garlic. These are all cool weather crops. You could also choose to do peas. I don’t get too crazy with planting a ton in the fall because quite honestly, I’m ready for a little break. I use the planting almanac to know when to plant what!
So, I start Brussel sprouts and broccoli from seeds in starter trays with compost. You could directly sow them, but I need a little extra time for my summer crops to finish up. These need to be planted at the end of July in zone 7 to have them ready for transplant to your garden space. (You can also look up your zone on the planting almanac website.) Winter lettuce can be directly sown into your soil along with carrots in August. Garlic is a bulb and is planted in October.
Preparation
After I map out what plants need to be started from seeds in trays and what can be directly sown, I get to work! Instead of keeping the starter trays under lights inside like I do in the winter for a spring garden, I just leave the trays outdoors. It’s warm enough and they get plenty of light. This also eliminates the need for the hardening off process.
Before I plant anything directly into the garden, I give it another boost of compost or organic fertilizer that I’ve purchased. I rake back the mulch and place the compost, then push the mulch back. This is also a great time to weed the area.
Now it’s time to plan where you will plant everything.
- Broccoli and Brussel sprouts do not pair well with tomatoes. So, if your summer garden is still producing, keep them separate.
- Broccoli and Brussel sprouts should not be planted near each other as they will compete for the same nutrients.
- Carrots are great companion plants for both of these.
- Lettuce can grow by Broccoli and Brussel Sprouts.
- Garlic enhances the sweetness of Brussel Sprouts- so they are great near each other!
- Garlic can also be planted near Broccoli as it helps deter pests.
Planting
When planning where to plant your garlic, keep it mind, it will not be ready to harvest until early summer. So it will need to be in a spot that can be compatible with whatever you choose to plant near it in the spring. Tomatoes do well near garlic! To plant garlic, separate a bulb and place the individual cloves with the wide root side down and the pointy top up. You’ll want to use only the best looking cloves from the bulb. Plant them 4-8″ apart and about 2″ deep. They love direct sunlight. Check out our blog about garlic to learn about all the benefits!
Lettuce, broccoli, Brussel Sprouts and carrots like 6-8 hours of sunlight. Carrot seeds only need to be planted about 1/4″ deep in rows. You’ll want to thin them out once they begin popping up. Also trim the outer layers of greenery from the carrots so it only has one or two stalks of green. This allows the plant to put more energy into making the actual carrot.
Conclusion
You’ll never regret the work you put into a garden. It’s so fulfilling to see the fruit of your labor. What a way to spend your time! Your whole family can benefit from it. Each year it’s a growing and learning process for me. I write down what I succeeded and failed in, and make the appropriate changes. Take the fall time to prepare, plan, and gear up for the spring!
Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you
