5 Ways to Prepare for Beautiful Summer Plants this Fall

Gardening can be a yearlong affair, when is includes planning, preparing, planting and caring. And fall is an important time to prepare for beautiful plants next summer.

Here are 5 ways to prepare:

1. Remove plant material, especially if it is diseased or has insects, as they can harbor throughout the winter and return in the spring. You may choose to cut away your perennials for aesthetic reasons, but some perennials fair better through the winter when cut in the fall. Here is a useful list of what perennials to cut down in the fall. (hyper linked to : https://www.thespruce.com/perennial-plants-to-cut-back-in-the-fall-1402712)

2. Take notes regarding which plants flourished and which did not. For annuals and vegetable gardens, also sketch out where species were planted, as it is important to rotate the location of different plants each year. This is important to avoid carrying over diseases and insects and also to maintain nutrient soil.

3. Insulate less hardy perennials with mulch as soon as the soil begins to freeze. This will protect them from the frigid cold. Be sure to remove the mulch in the spring as the temperatures begin to warm. This will help to prevent mold and promote growth.

4. Add nutrients into the soil. Poor plant growth can be an indication that the soil needs to be amended. Testing the soil is an option as well and can be provided by the University of Minnesota. (hyperlinked to: http://soiltest.cfans.umn.edu/)

5. Fall is an ideal time to gather materials for compost piles which will support nutrient rich soil for your gardens and planters. Compost piles should consists of one-third green material two-thirds brown material which his plentiful in the fall, as you remove plant material from gardens and remove fallen leaves.