The document provides a fall gardening checklist outlining essential tasks to prepare gardens for cooler months, including mulching, protecting ornamental plants, composting, and planting bulbs. Key activities such as lawn fertilization, clean-up, and ensuring adequate watering are highlighted to maintain garden health. It emphasizes the importance of scheduling and performing these tasks to ensure a vibrant garden in the spring.

1. Fall Gardening Checklist
How to Prepare Your Garden for the Cooler Months

2. Pumpkins, apples, and gourds oh my!! I don’t know about you but Fall is
absolutely one of my favorite seasons. From the colors of the leaves to
the smells and tastes of the season there is so much to absorb. Yet even
though the weather cools and the daylight dwindles, it's way too early
to forget about the garden. There's still a lot to be done. This season
you’ll be busy with lawn care, leaf collection, and spring bulb planting.
Following you will find a checklist of tasks to complete this fall
including pre-filled calendars to assist you with scheduling your tasks.
Read on and get busy! Your garden awaits 

3. #1: Complete Fall Mulching (September)
Install mulch at a depth of 2”-3” in all flower beds and
tree rings to maintain soil quality and to protect plants
that are sensitive to any seasonal cold blasts. You may
use traditional hard wood mulch or for a more cost
effective solution try using weeds (but not those with
seeds), grass clippings, leaves, and straw that has been
chopped up. Mulch should be installed well before the
first freeze.

4. #2: Protect Ornamental Plants (October)
As discussed in the last slide, plants that
are sensitive to cold should be protected
by a layer of mulch. However, ornamental
plants such as azaleas and berry bushes
will need to be protected from bud-eating
deer. The easiest and safest form of
protection is deer netting but sprays and
other methods are also available.

5. #3: Begin Composting for Spring (September)
Purchase or build a simple compost bin using an old trash can or storage
bin. Add a mixture of both green or “live” material and brown material.
You may use soil, leaves, grass cuttings, fruit peels, vegetable waste,
etc. as mixing components for your compost. And don’t forget the
worms. They will help add additional nitrogen to the compost. Be sure
to cover your compost and turn regularly. By Spring, you will have a
fantastic nutrient rich soil enhancer to use on flowers, fruits,
vegetables, and herbs.

6. #4: Complete fall clean up (October & November)
Rake up and dispose of leaves around the property and in flower beds
and tree rings. Clean out old annuals and weeds from flower beds
before seeds drop. And cut back spent perennials that create hiding
places for slugs, snails, and other pests.

7. #5: Install Fall Bulbs (October)
Till the soil and plant bulbs for Spring. Fall is the perfect time to plant
bulbs like tulips, irises and crocuses, which need a winter freeze to
start their growing process. By getting them in the ground now, you will
ensure a colorful garden by early spring. For best results, plant bulbs
once temperatures are in forties and fifties, but several weeks before
the ground completely freezes.
Fall Spring

8. #6: Fertilize the lawn (September)
Feed Your Lawn. Don't let your lawn go into winter without the
nutrients it needs to battle the long sleep. Help it out this fall with a
good mix of phosphorus-rich fertilizer, which helps strengthen roots.
While it might look like your lawn has shut down for the season, a little
lawn care in the fall months will guarantee a lush, green turf next
spring.

9. #7: Water the garden
Give all of your plants a good drink, especially your trees. Their roots
need plenty of moisture to make it through the upcoming months.
* Please note garden watering is not on the calendar. Watering schedule
varies regionally due to zone variations in temperature, moisture,
water usage regulations, etc.

10. #8: Mow the lawn (April – November)
Grass grows more slowly in fall, but it still needs to be cut to prepare
for winter. During peak season most lawns will need to be cut about
every 7 days however in the late summer and fall this task may fall to
every 10-14 days.