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As we settle into Fall, the time is now to begin cleaning your garden. Propper garden maintenance goes a long way in ensuring that, come spring time, you have healthy plant life. 

While you may be tempted to clear out plant debris and start fresh, this can actually have a detrimental effect on your garden. Instead, it is important to make sure your cleaning goals support garden and wildlife health. Below we have outlined several steps you can take to effectively and safely prepare your garden for the fall and winter!

Pull out the old stuff

To start, look to clear away all diseased plants and rotting plant material. If left unaddressed, bacteria and insects can overwinter and ruin your garden in the spring. For the rest of the plant material, consider the following:

• Perennial flowers act as homes for both bees and butterflies during the winter. If you plan to trim your perennials, consider leaving one area uncut. That way, our pollinating friends can return the favor in the spring.  
• If you live in drier climates, leaving some dead plant material can actually promote garden health as it attracts beneficial insects by providing shelter. For those in wet climates, the same does not apply. The moisture in the air accelerates mold growth meaning plants will likely become diseased. If you live in an area like this, consider pulling all plant waste. 

You can leave your leaves. You may be tempted to grab the rake but know that fallen leaves often provide shelter to valuable pollinators. If you do rake your leaves then consider creating a compost pile. That way you get the best of both worlds. The leaves are out of sight and you get a nutrient-rich fertilizer for the spring.

Add some mulch

Adding mulch to your garden bed has a number of benefits in the Fall. To begin with, mulch presses the soil helping with moisture retention and erosion. Mulch also helps suppress weed growth and maintain a constant soil temperature. This means that come spring time, your garden will be full of healthy plant life. We recommend adding 2-4 inches of mulch on top of your bed!

Add some compost!

Adding compost can improve garden health as it acts as a natural fertilizer while attracting earthworms. This helps maintain a steady supply of nutrients and microbes in your garden bed, improving soil health.

We love the Fall because It is arguably the best time of year to use your compost! This is because the colder weather disperses compost nutrients deep into the soil biome. By spring, these nutrients are ready to be used by the plants in your garden. Also, composting in the fall gives earthworms more time to do their magic.

How we can help get your garden ready

Preparing your garden bed for the winter can be a daunting task. Thankfully, we offer a variety of products that help streamline this process. Our compostable paper bags are perfect for garden waste or trimmings. Sourced from our friends at Bag to Earth, our bags are 100% biodegradable meaning you can easily store and dispose of all waste collected. These are also great for leaves as you can clean your lawn and not worry about having to deal with garbage bags full of waste.

We also offer compost so that you can ensure your soil is ready to go in the spring. Simply apply some on your bed and you are good to go! Your soil will benefit from higher nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels with little to no work on your end!

To see everything we offer, check out our shop!