Prepping your landscape for winter can lighten your spring cleanup load, reduce disease and give your spring garden a jump-start. Here are a few tasks to add to your autumn garden to-do list, straight from the pros at USU Extension.
Prep Your Lawn for Winter
In early fall when temperatures cool, control weeds and add a nitrogen fertilizer to contribute to a healthy spring lawn. Mower height should be reduced to 2 to 2 1/2-inches to reduce disease prevalence.
The Best Time to Plant New Trees
As leaves fall they can be shredded or mowed over, making them more suitable for use as compost or mulch in garden beds. Cooler weather makes fall the perfect time to plant a tree, so head to the nursery and select your favorite. Fall pruning can damage and even kill trees, so it is best to save pruning for spring.
Enrich Your Soil for Spring
Clean up the vegetable garden by removing spent plants, and boost soil by adding grass clippings, shredded leaves and compost. Planting garlic in the month of October will provide you with a bountiful harvest next summer.
Trim Your Perennials
Cut back perennials in the fall, but leave late flowering perennials and grasses for overwintering beneficial insects. Plant spring blooming bulbs, like daffodils and tulips, for an early show of spring color.
Once you’ve checked every box on your autumn garden to-do list, get more garden insights from USU Extension here.
