Preparing Your Garden and Yard for Fall

While some may point to spring as the most impactful season for your yard and garden, real green thumbs know that the clearest path to a luscious spring is autumnal preparation. So, before breaking out your favorite hot cocoa recipe, prepare your garden and yard for fall with a few of our tips and tricks.

Harvest Your Fall Bounty

Fall is a transitional season that takes us straight into winter. But before you put a period at the end of your hot weather sentence, it’s time to reap the rewards of your hard work.

So, as the first step of your September garden prep, start harvesting!

You should generally rely on your senses and USDA Hardiness Zone to determine what produce is ready to pick. But for the map-averse, here’s a general list of veggies to harvest in September:

• Beans
• Carrots
• Chilies
• Corn
• Kale
• Pumpkins
• Tomatoes
• Turnips
• Zucchini

Picking these veggies at peak ripeness will open up a slew of delicious avenues for you going forward. (INSERT LINK TO “September Harvest Recipe Roundup”)

While you’re picking through your homegrown produce aisle, keep an eye out for diseased plants or those that’ve been ravaged by pests. Remove any leaves, stems, or entire plants dealing with spots, wilting, or stunted growth.

Then, when spring comes around, your garden will focus its energy more effectively on its healthy residents. That means you’re on your way to a bigger bounty next year.

Set Up Your Garden for Spring Success with Fall Cover Crops

The final step in your fall garden prep is to plant cover crops. Often referred to as “green manure,” cover crops are the secret to a healthy garden because they provide so many benefits.

Buckwheat, ryes, and wheat, for instance, will help smother weeds. Barley and Sudan grass will protect against soil erosion. All cover crops will help protect your soil while also returning essential nutrients to the soil and giving your spring garden a boost. 

Here’s an extended list of beneficial groups sorted by the region in which they’re most effective:

• Northeast: Oats, sweet clover, ryegrass, winter rye, and Sudan grass
• Mid-Atlantic: Crimson clover, ryegrass, and Sudan grass
• Southeast: Crimson clover, lespedeza, oats, peas, ryegrass, Sudan grass, and wheat
• Midwest: Barley, crimson clover, oats, ryes, Sudan grass, and wheat
• Northwest: Barley, crimson clover, peas, rye, and Sudan grass
• Southwest: Barley, buckwheat, cowpeas, lespedeza, medic mix, and subterranean clover.
• California: Barley, bell beans, fava beans, medic mix, subterranean clover, and woollypod vetch.

Prevent Weeds from Popping Up in Spring

The work you put into your yard and garden this September will pay dividends once spring comes around. One of the best ways to start the next growing season on the right foot is by taking care of weeds now.

In fact, autumn often causes weeds to experience a bit of a growth spurt. As they prepare for winter, they work overtime to draw nutrients out of the soil.

Now, you may not mind a dandelion or two in your yard. But if you’re someone who prefers a pristine lawn or is dealing with an overabundance of weeds, fall is the time to take action.

Unfortunately, the best way to get rid of weeds is the most labor-intensive. Pulling the weeds out, root and all, will help keep them from establishing a foothold in your lawn.

You can also apply an herbicide or weed killer. If you go this route, try to use one that’s of the pre-emergent variety. You should also double-check your specific weed killer’s instructions to make sure you don’t over-apply and end up killing your entire lawn.

Another option here is landscape mulch. Landscape mulch creates an organic barrier that weeds struggle to break through.

When choosing landscape mulch for your yard, find one that uses aged wood chips instead of fresh ones. Fresh chips can absorb nitrogen from the soil, leaving less for your lawn. If you can only find the variety with fresh wood chips, applying a layer of compost first can help add another necessary barrier between the soil and the mulch. 

Adjust Your Mowing for Healthy Grass

To mow or not to mow? That is the eternal question for all yard-havers as temperatures cool and green growth wanes.

Well, throughout September, you’ll likely need to stick to your regular mowing rhythm. Even if you notice your grass growing at a more lax pace, mowing will help turn fallen leaves into mulch. If you’re looking for a marker as to when you can cease rolling out your mower, HGTV recommends waiting until 90% of leaves have fallen from your trees. 

September, though, is the time to begin adjusting your mowing tactics. Step one is to adjust your mower’s blades to start cutting grass shorter. Typically, you’re looking to keep grass between two to three inches tall.

There are various benefits to cutting your lawn shorter. First, short grass is better protected against disease and pests. Shorter blades of glass can also help prevent winter kill. 

Then, when spring comes around, the shorter length provides many avenues for sunlight to reach the soil. This means your soil will get warmer sooner, helping to lengthen your growing season.

Shorter grass in fall also leads to less debris in spring. Tall grass has a habit of ensnaring fallen leaves and other yard detritus, but shorter blades allow the wind to carry these pieces of debris somewhere other than your yard.

Beyond mowing, your yard is likely in need of a good aeration. If you did this last fall, you’ll only need to aerate the high-traffic portions of your grass.

Spring and summer are high-usage times for your yard. Between the neighborhood barbecues, intense rain, and summertime outdoor games, your yard’s soil gets compressed, making it harder for healthy grass to grow.

Aeration lets your lawn breathe and makes it easier for water, air, and nutrients to penetrate deeper into the soil. So, when spring arrives, your lawn will have easier access to the elements it needs to not just survive but thrive.

Don’t have an aerator? You’re still in luck: your local hardware store may rent aerators if you don’t have one already.

Spend September Getting Your Yard Ready for Spring

Even as the weather gets cool, your yard work isn’t quite done. So, this September, take a few simple steps to get your yard and garden ready for spring!