The best time to prepare your soil and garden for the spring is to work it in the fall. The best time to do this is before the winter snow arrives and when the leaves are just starting to change into their lovely fall colors. At the end of the summer season, as your vegetables have all gone to harvest, here are some tops you will want to do in order to clean up your garden and yard to ready it for the next year.
1) Remove old plants
The last thing you want to face in the spring is having to clean up your old plants that have died off last year and have been left in place. They will just rot, turn the soil bad and possibly carry plant diseases and fungus. Rotting plants invite rodents to visit your yard, and possibly your home. Throw away or burn any plants with signs of disease, so as to not spread it. All other plant life can be broken back into the soil and chopped up.
2) Plant a cover crop
Weather elements such as wind, rain and snow can wash away your precious top soil if left uncovered. The top soil is important because if holds most of the nutrients and organic material your future plants will thrive on. The use of a cover crop will protect your soil. Cover crops also break up packed soil and will make it easier to work with in the spring. The roots will loosen the soil and allow better oxygen flow into the ground, which is a plus for your spring fruits and vegetables. In addition to oxygen, cover crops also cause nitrogen levels to increase. There are many crops that are nitrogen-living plants and benefit greatly from this increase. You can do some research and determine which is the best choice for your cover crop.
3) Manure or leaves
If you do not wish to plant a cover crop, you can always use manure or leaves to cover your soil until the spring. The best manure to use is from chicken, cow, horse, llama or pig, so you should have no trouble in finding some in your area. Over the winter, the manure will break down and provide essential minerals and fertilization to your garden. Leaves will protect from soil erosion and can be found right in your own yard.
4) Plant in Fall
Fall is the best time to plant certain trees, shrubs and bulbs. As they take longer to grow, trees and shrubs that are planted in the fall will have that extra time to build their root system. Before winter fully arrives, the soil will stay warmer far after the air turns cold. Bulbs also flourish when they are planted in the fall. Not every bulb plant is great for this time of planting, so do your research. Daffodils are excellent flowers to plant during the fall. They are hardy and will survive in the ground during the chilly winter and show themselves to you in the early spring.
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