Avoid these common fall garden prep mistakes that could ruin your spring blooms! Learn the essential steps for a thriving garden next year.
As we move into fall, it’s time to shift our gardening focus from lots of beautiful blooming flowers to preparing for the cooler, dormant season. While fall may seem like a time for winding down, it’s actually a crucial period for setting the stage for a thriving spring garden.
Proper fall garden prep is essential for ensuring your plants emerge healthy and vigorous after the winter slumber. However, even seasoned gardeners can fall prey to common mistakes that can sabotage a gorgeous spring garden. Let’s chat about these pitfalls and learn how to avoid them,
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1. Neglecting Fall Cleanup: A Haven for Pests and Diseases
One of the most common mistakes gardeners make in the fall is neglecting to clean up their gardens thoroughly. Leaving behind diseased or pest-ridden plant debris creates a haven for these problems to overwinter, ready to wreak havoc on your new growth in the spring.
- Consequences: Overwintering pests and diseases can spread rapidly in the spring, infecting your healthy plants and causing significant damage.
- Solution: Take the time to remove all spent annuals, fallen fruit, and any foliage showing signs of disease or pest infestation. Compost only healthy plant material to avoid spreading problems.
Pro Tip: As I assessed my summer garden this year, I was diligent about removing any lingering diseased plants, especially those plagued by powdery mildew. This simple step will save me a lot of headaches in the spring.
2. Overlooking Perennials: Missing the Chance for Division
Perennials are the backbone of many gardens, providing beauty and structure year after year. However, they can become overcrowded and unproductive if not divided regularly.
- Mistake: Failing to divide overgrown perennials in the fall.
- Consequences: Overcrowded perennials compete for resources, leading to weak growth, fewer blooms, and increased susceptibility to diseases.
- Solution: Fall is the ideal time to divide and replant many perennials in my zone 6b climate. This gives them ample time to establish strong root systems before winter sets in.
If you’ve not divided perennials before, I wrote an article that details how to divide perennials here.
3. Fall Garden Prep Mistake: Fertilizing Too Late
While fertilizing is essential for healthy plant growth, applying it too late in the fall can be detrimental.
- Mistake: Fertilizing in late fall encourages tender new growth that is vulnerable to frost damage.
- Consequences: This new growth will likely die back during the winter, stressing the plant and potentially delaying its spring emergence.
- Solution: Stop fertilizing most plants in late summer or early fall, allowing them to harden off and prepare for dormancy.
Pro Tip: I give my roses their last feeding in late August. This ensures they focus their energy on storing reserves for winter and stronger root development rather than producing new growth and blooms. To learn more about how and when to fertilize roses, read this article here.
4. Planting Faux Pas: The Wrong Plants at the Wrong Time
Fall is a great time to plant certain flowers, bulbs, and cool-season vegetables. However, it’s crucial to choose the right plants and plant them at the appropriate time.
- Mistake: Planting unsuitable plants for fall conditions in your growing zone. Planting too late in the fall, leaving insufficient time for root establishment before winter.
- Consequences: Tender plants may succumb to frost or cold temperatures if they haven’t had enough time to establish themselves. Plants that aren’t cold-hardy might struggle in cooler fall temperatures, leading to weak or stunted growth in the spring. Investing time and money in plants unlikely to survive the winter is frustrating and inefficient.
- Solution: Research plants suitable for fall planting in zone 6. Some good options include spring-blooming bulbs like tulips and daffodils, cool-season vegetables like kale and spinach, and pansies for fall color. Give your fall plantings ample time to develop strong root systems before the ground freezes. Aim to plant at least 6 weeks before the first expected frost in your area. If you’re planting cool-season vegetables, consider starting seeds indoors a few weeks before transplanting them outside. This will give them a head start and ensure a successful fall harvest.
A great example of planting at the wrong time are mums flowers. They are not bred to withstand hot summer temperatures, so hold off incorporating them in your fall landscape until the fall chill arrives. It will be much easier to grow and enjoy them without them drying out after a few days!
Pro Tip: If you plant pansies in the fall, they will bounce back in the spring so you can get two seasons out of them instead of just one.
5. Missing the Golden Opportunity to Improve Your Soil
Fall is the perfect time to focus on improving your soil health, setting the stage for robust plant growth in the spring.
- Mistake: Ignoring soil health in the fall
- Consequences: Poor soil structure, nutrient deficiencies, and compacted soil can hinder root growth and overall plant health.
- Solution: Test your soil’s pH and nutrient levels to determine if any amendments are needed. Incorporate compost, leaf mold, or well-rotted manure to improve soil structure and fertility. Adding a layer of mulch will help retain soil moisture, suppress weeds, and protect against temperature fluctuations.
Pro Tip: I always take the time to amend my soil with compost in the fall with homemade compost and leaf mold. This simple step makes a world of difference in the health and vigor of my plants come springtime.
6. Fall Garden Prep Mistake: Leaving Tender Plants Vulnerable
While many plants are hardy enough to withstand my zone 6b winters, some tender perennials and shrubs may need extra protection.
- Mistake: Not providing adequate protection for sensitive plants.
- Consequences: Harsh winter winds, heavy snow, or fluctuating temperatures can damage or kill unprotected plants.
- Solution: Mulch around the base of plants to insulate their roots. Wrap vulnerable shrubs with burlap or other protective materials. Consider moving potted plants to a sheltered location.
Pro Tip: In my zone 6b hardiness zone, I always make sure to pull my tender perennial plants like dahlias and colocasia to overwinter indoors and protect mophead hydrangeas with burlap wrap to shield them from winter winds and snow.
Want to learn more about overwintering tender perennials and bulbs indoors? I shared a comprehensive guide about how to overwinter dahlias and other tender perennials here.
7. Pruning Pitfalls: Timing is Everything
While pruning is an essential gardening practice, many home gardeners make the mistake of pruning shrubs and trees in the fall during clean up at the sacrifice of next year’s flowers.
- Mistake: Pruning plants at the wrong time
- Consequences: Many spring-flowering shrubs and trees set their flower buds on old wood (growth from the previous season). Pruning them in the fall or early winter removes these buds, sacrificing next year’s floral display. Late pruning can trigger new growth, which is susceptible to frost damage as it won’t have time to harden off before winter. This weakens the plant and can delay its spring emergence.
- Solution: It is so important to know the plants you have and when they flower before pruning or cutting them back.
Pruning Tips You Need to Know!
- Prune spring-flowering shrubs and trees immediately after they bloom. This allows them to develop new growth and set flower buds for the following year.
- Prune summer- and fall-flowering shrubs in late winter or early spring before new growth begins. This encourages vigorous growth and abundant blooms on the current season’s wood.
- Avoid heavy pruning in late fall or winter. Light pruning to remove dead or damaged branches is acceptable, but avoid major cuts during this time.
- Research specific pruning requirements for your plants. Different species have different pruning needs and timing. Consult reputable gardening resources, such as university extension websites, for accurate information.
To learn more about how and when to prune hydrangeas, ornamental shrubs, and other woody plants, I wrote an article that details everything you need to know here.
8. Watering Thirsty Plants in Fall
While fall temperatures are cooler, plants still need adequate moisture, especially newly planted ones and evergreens.
- Mistake: Overwatering or underwatering in the fall
- Consequences: Overwatering can lead to root rot, while underwatering can cause dehydration and stress, making plants more susceptible to winter damage.
- Solution: Monitor soil moisture regularly and water deeply but less frequently than in the summer. Pay special attention to newly planted trees, shrubs, and evergreens.
Pro Tip: I adjust my watering schedule based on rainfall and temperature in my zone 6b garden. I also make sure to give my evergreens a good soaking before the ground freezes. For more tips about watering your flower garden, read my informative article here.
9. Neglecting Fall Lawn Care
Your lawn needs attention in the fall too! Fall is a great time to overseed your lawn, improve the soil and lay the groundwork for healthy grass in the spring.
- Mistake: Skipping fall lawn maintenance
- Consequences: A weak, unhealthy lawn in spring, prone to weeds, diseases, and bare patches
- Solution: Fertilize your lawn in the fall to promote root growth, aerate to ensure light and air reaches deep root systems, improve soil drainage, and overseed to thicken thin areas.
Pro Tip: I always make sure to aerate my lawn, fertilize, and overseed with tall fescue in the fall. This helps it recover from summer stress and prepares it for a healthy start in the spring. It also helps keep the weeds at bay, which is a constant battle for me!
10. Tool Trouble: Forgetting Fall Maintenance
Your gardening tools deserve some TLC before they’re tucked away for the winter. Not only will they be ready for spring, but you’ll promote a longer lifespan by caring for them before hanging then up for the season.
- Mistake: Not cleaning, sharpening, or storing tools properly
- Consequences: Rusty, dull tools, reduced lifespan, and unpreparedness for spring gardening tasks
- Solution: Clean off any dirt and debris, sharpen blades, and oil metal parts to prevent rust. Store tools in a dry, sheltered location.
Pro Tip: I like to give my tools a good cleaning and sharpening at the end of each season. It makes them easier to use and helps them last longer.
Bonus Tips for a Flourishing Fall Garden
- Protect Your Lawn from Grubs: Japanese beetles can wreak havoc on your garden in the summer. Fall is the time to target their larvae, known as grubs, which live in your lawn. Consider applying milky spore or transitioning to a tall fescue lawn, which is less hospitable to grubs. I wrote a comprehensive post on how to keep Japanese beetles out of your garden here.
- Embrace Fall’s Bounty: While you’re busy prepping for next spring, don’t forget to enjoy the beauty and bounty of the current season. Visit local nurseries and farm stands to discover stunning fall-flowering plants and colorful mums to brighten your landscape.
- Resist the Chrysanthemum Temptation: As tempting as it may be to buy those vibrant mums early in the season, hold off until closer to fall. They’re not bred to last long and don’t thrive in the heat, so you’ll get more enjoyment out of them if you wait until the temperatures cool down.
- Time Your Rose Feeding: Give your roses one last feeding in late summer or early fall to encourage a final flush of blooms. Avoid fertilizing them after this point to allow them to go dormant for the winter.
- Consider Planting Trees and Shrubs: Fall is an excellent time to plant trees and shrubs in Zone 6 and similar climates. The cooler temperatures and increased rainfall provide ideal conditions for them to establish strong root systems before winter. Take advantage of end-of-season sales at nurseries to snag some great deals.
Final Thoughts About Fall Garden Prep
Fall garden prep is a critical step in ensuring a vibrant and productive garden next spring. By avoiding the common mistakes outlined in this article and implementing these proactive measures, you can set your garden up for success. Remember, a little effort in the fall goes a long way toward reaping the rewards of a beautiful and bountiful garden in the seasons to come.
Before you embark on your fall garden prep journey, take a moment to assess your summer garden. Identify any lingering issues like diseased or spent plants and remove them promptly to prevent problems from carrying over into the fall. Once you have a clean slate, start planning your fall garden layout. Consider incorporating cool-season vegetables, fall-flowering plants, and companion planting strategies to create a thriving and diverse autumn landscape.
By taking these steps and avoiding common pitfalls, you’ll be well on your way to enjoying a stunning and productive garden next spring.
Happy gardening!
For more information about fall garden prep, read this article from the Penn State Cooperative Extension.
To drill down on more beginner gardening techniques and tips, please read these posts:
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let me know in the comments below. I’d love to hear! And feel free to share this post with anyone you think would find it helpful too.
Thank you for following along.
Happy planting – enjoy your day! xo
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