Cleaning The Garden In Autumn –
Steps for Fall Garden Cleanup
A good first step is removing any materials used for supporting your plants, like bean stakes, tomato cages or trellises. Clean all of these items by wiping them down or spraying them with a two to one solution of water and bleach. This will kill any diseases that may be lingering on the supports.
One of the key aspects of fall cleanup is the removal of potentially problem pests and disease. When you rake up old leaves and debris, you are removing a hiding place for overwintering insects and pests. The old plant material left behind is a perfect refuge for diseases such as fungal spores, which can infect fresh new plants in spring.
Dead plants, old fruit and vegetables and any diseased plants should be removed from the garden beds and disposed of. If the spent plant material was healthy, it can be composted. If the plant material showed signs of disease, it should be disposed of in the trash or by being burned. If you compost diseased plant material, you risk re-infecting your garden next year with the same disease.
After this, another step in preparing a vegetable garden for winter is to spread compost, composted manure or other fertilizers onto the vegetable beds.
When to Start Preparing a Vegetable Garden for Winter
Typically, you want to start getting your garden ready for winter right after the first frost has killed off most of the annuals. That being said, you can certainly start fall garden clean up earlier than this if you see plants that are fading and no longer producing a harvest for you.
Pruning Practices When Cleaning Up the Garden
Preparing a vegetable garden for winter will help your garden stay healthy from year to year. Getting your garden ready for winter is easy if you follow these easy steps.
Read more at Gardening Know How: Cleaning Up Garden: How To Prepare Your Garden For Winter https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/info/cleaning-up-garden.htm