Putting Your Garden to Bed

Taking a few hours to do this in the fall will give you better soil next spring and help keep undesirable bugs and weeds from popping up in next year’s garden.

Steps to putting your garden to bed to reap mega benefits in the spring:

• Pick any remaining vegetables or fruits like cucumbers, squash. Leave early winter crops like carrots, garlic and turnips in the garden and mark them well.

• Divide and plant your perennials – if they are growing out of control.

• Plant your spring bulbs for a showy garden in the spring.

• Remove all annual plants and place the plants in the compost only if they are disease free.

• Remove all weeds but before you put them into the compost, remove all seeds.

• Gather a bag full of leaves to place close to your compost. Layer your compost with brown matter (leaves) and green matter (plants or kitchen greens).

• Take care of your soil. Add manure and turn your soil to aerate and control insect infestation.

• Plant a cover crop like oats, buckwheat or rye and turn it into the ground in the spring.

• Put away all containers and empty any water out of them.

• Build winter structures like a cold frame or green house if you want to enjoy a spring crop.