Like you, I’m harvesting vegetables and fruit from my garden and preparing for storage. This is also a great time for doing a little renovating in the perennial garden—as well as planting or dividing bulbs. The cool weather will keep me busy! Let’s talk about what to do in the garden in September and October—before the ground freezes!
Harvesting and Storing Fall Vegetables
- I just picked the last peas and snap beans, steamed them briefly, and froze in bags for winter meals. You can do the same with broccoli sprouts and Brussels sprouts.
- Pick all green tomatoes on plants when a frost is imminent. Store them in a single layer on trays and platters at normal room temperature until they ripen. You can be eating your own tasty tomatoes for Thanksgiving with luck.
- Cut pumpkins and winter squash from their vines when stems are browning and tough.
- Store that squash in a cool, dark area like a basement or closet. Wash the rinds with white vinegar and water first to clean off dirt and prevent rot.
I also plant more cold-hardy crops in early fall, including wonderful Asian greens and some roots and veggies. Plus, don’t forget garlic is best planted in early fall—any time after the fall equinox! See how to plant garlic.
Picking Apples and Pears
I’m picking tons of apples, Asian pears, and pears from my eight-tree miniature orchard. These are ready to pick when the apple or pear separates from the tree when lifted up at the stem. Don’t worry if they are a bit underripe; they’ll ripen in storage. About half of what I harvest is donated to the local food bank. Find a food bank in your area!
Pears, regular and Asian, don’t keep long, about 6 weeks in the refrigerator. I make pie filling from my extras and freeze it in individual pie-size containers.
Apples store much longer in cool, dark areas. After you fill up the refrigerator, put the remaining apples in the basement or a cold garage. Many varieties will store for up to 6 months. Apple butter and tarts to freeze are some of the ways I use up extra apples, too.
Planting Bulbs for Spring Blooms
Fall is the best time to plant bulbs that flower in the spring for root establishment. Invest in a better bulb for better flowers. Ensure you have well-draining soil. Amend poor soils by adding organic matter (peat, manure, compost).
When to plant? “The simple answer is that bulb-planting season starts once your soil temperature reaches about 55 degrees Fahrenheit,” says Tim Schipper of Colorblends, a Connecticut-based flower bulb wholesaler. “The problem is who knows what their soil temperature is?” he adds.
It’s time to plant bulbs when:
- Fall foliage has moved just past peak
- Crickets no longer chirp
- Birds start to group and depart
- You start turning on the heat in your car
- The air smells of wood smoke
- Grapes are ripening on the vine
- Hostas start to lie down
- The air has that organic, decaying-leaf smell
- The dog moves from a cool to a sunny spot in the yard
- The kids start putting on their jackets without being nagged by you
Planting Shrubs and Trees
Early fall is a good time to plant container-grown or balled-and-burlapped nursery stock. Sometimes it’s difficult to find the right trees, so start looking on the early side.
When you plant, some folks say to make the hole twice as big as the root ball; I don’t find that to be necessary, but the hole does need to be wider than the ball. And plant at the same depth. Do not bury trees! Find the root flare that comes out at the base of the tree, which will give you an indication of the correct soil level.
Before I plant, I break up and loosen the soil, and I really wet the hole down before I put the tree in. Take a hose, place it in the bottom of the hole, turn it on, and mud that tree in.
After you plant, don’t forget to water in to remove air pockets. And mulch to protect against large fluctuations in soil temperature and moisture. But never mulch right next to the trunk, which invites critters and problems.
See tree-planting tips for fall and our list of best shrubs to plant in fall.
Planting and Dividing Perennial Flowers
As well as planting new perennial flowers, this is a good time to transplant and divide many perennials—especially those that flower in the spring and early summer, including bleeding heart, lilies, lily-of-the-valley, irises, and peonies. You want to do this job 6 weeks before the ground freezes.
I will transplant when I’ve discovered a perennial needs a different growing environment or doesn’t like where it’s growing. Only divide a perennial when all the growth appears on the outer edges, it doesn’t bloom as well, or the blooms are smaller than usual. This means your plant has overcrowded roots. Here are directions I’ve always followed:
- Using a shovel, dig out as much of the clump of the perennial as possible along with the soil. Don’t break off the soil until later and do so very gently. If you are dividing the plant, once it is out of the ground, separate the crowns by cutting them with a sharp knife or shovel blade. Preserve as many of the roots as possible.
- Prepare the new planting spot or revive the old one by turning the soil at least 8 inches deep. Remove rocks, roots, and debris. Add plenty of compost and some aged manure.
- Dig a hole that is 1.5 times as deep and wide as the plant’s roots. Build a firm mound of soil in the middle of the hole. Spread the roots over the mound so that the crown sits at or just below the soil line. Gently backfill the hole and pull the soil up around the crown just as you would a container-grown plant.
- Water the plant and keep it consistently moist until a hard freeze. Don’t bother with fertilizer, as it will only encourage top growth, which takes energy away from the roots.
- Once the ground freezes, apply a 3-inch layer of mulch and you are done.
Learn more about caring for perennials.
Credit: extension.msstate.edu
Digging Up Tender Plants
Tender plants have to be dug up. They are very sensitive to cold temperatures.
I dig up tuberous begonia and caladium just before frost. Store in a warm location for 7 to 10 days so they dry and won’t rot in storage. Don’t overdo it or they will get too dry! Store by packing them in a cardboard box (not touching each other) and layering in potting material like vermiculite or sawdust or peat moss. Store in a dark storage area that doesn’t get too cold (45° to 50°F).
With dahlias, cut back to 3 to 4 inches after the first light frost. Then carefully lift plants, leaving as much soil as possible attached to prevent breaking fleshy roots. Air-dry for only a few hours; dahlias are very sensitive to drying. Store at 35° to 40°F.
Cannas don’t need to be dug up until after a hard frost. Cut tops back to 4 inches, lift with a spading fork, and air dry in a warm spot for 1 to 2 weeks. Roots don’t need covering. Simply place in shallow boxes. Roots are best stored at 45° to 50°F.
Learn more about storing tender bulbs for winter.
Controlling Fall & Winter Weeds
Don’t give weeds a chance to grow late in the season. If you are using a fall pre-emergent regime, continue into fall and winter. Prevent weeds from establishing a foothold!
My organic solution for cleaned-out vegetable beds is cover crops. Plant by end of September. They’ll control weeds, improve soil quality, and prevent erosion in wet months.
Bringing Outdoor Plants Inside
Bring outdoor plants back inside before night temps fall below 55°F. Check and control insects BEFORE bringing plants into the house, or they will spread to other houseplants.
Houseplants will drop leaves as they adjust to the light. You could transition by adding in a bright spot first. Water indoor plants less frequently and discontinue fertilizer.
If you’re cleaning out containers or pots, be sure to sterilize them before storing them to prevent the buildup of pathogens. Soak in a solution of 1 part bleach in 9 parts water for a minimum of 10 minutes. Then, transfer to a solution of dish detergent and water to rinse. Use steel wool or a wire bristle brush to clean dirt from clay pots.
Learn more about bringing outdoor plants inside.
Testing the Garden Soil Now
Fall is the best time to do a soil test. I try to test every 3 to 5 years for fertilizer levels and needs. Fertilizers can cause lots of salt buildup. Contact your county cooperative extension for a free or cheap soil test or ask a garden nursery how it’s done.
You’ll want to incorporate organic matter in the fall to let the organic organisms work the soil all winter and avoid getting waterlogged soil in the spring—and it’s easier than trying to do all the garden activities in the spring. Plus, soil prepared in fall will warm up faster!
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It depends on where you're located. In the warmest parts of the U.S., like southern Florida, okra may keep producing into late fall. Okra is generally cut down in mid to late summer; at this point in the growing season, it's a bit late for it.
Especially if you want to use that garden space for other things, then you're better off removing the okra plants and starting over in late winter or spring (depending on where you are).
Cut plants off at ground level. You are absolutely right that the rhizobium on the roots will stay in the soil over to winter to feed a new crop next spring. Plant a heavy nitrogen feeder like lettuce or squash there to take advantage of the nitrogen.
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