The evenings are growing shorter and the air is becoming cooler, which means it’s time for gardeners to shift their focus and prepare their gardens for the winter months ahead. Fall is a very important time of the year for garden care – it’s all about preparation and maintenance. Here’s some tips to help you prepare your garden for next year! 

Protect Plants

If you have plants that won’t survive the winter outdoors, you’ll want to bring them inside to provide protection and see them through the long winter. Potted plants can be moved to a sheltered location or indoors, while other larger plants can be covered with burlap to shield them from frost. It’s important to keep an eye on the weather. As beautiful as it may be during the day, temperatures can drop significantly over night. 

Planting and Transplanting

If you plan on planting fall bulbs, you’ll want to do this now as it’s important for them to establish their roots before the frost sets in. Fall is the time to transplant perennial plants that might have become overcrowded, this will help them flourish next year! This is the ideal time to remove fallen leaves and debris from your garden as it will be much easier now than when they are wet and decaying in the spring after the snow melts. 

Tool Maintenance

It’s always important to take care of your tools and equipment to make sure they can keep up with you and your garden. Take some time to sharpen all your blades and oil any moving parts to ensure optimal performance next year. Clean all the dirt off your shovels & spades and check for rust or wear. You’ll be glad you took this time when you reach for them in the spring!  

Looking Ahead to Spring

Planning ahead allows you to make the most of your garden next year. Do some research and decide what you want your garden to look like. Maybe change the way you layout your plants, moving them around and allowing the plants that need more space the chance to successfully grow. Now’s the time to seek advice, order seeds and think about trying new things! 

It’s such a joy being outdoors during this season! We hope this information has been helpful and gets you excited thinking about what’s to come next year!