I can't speak for each specific plant you listed. I know for the flower garden you clean it up as much as possible so that pests and diseases don't have anything to overwinter on. It lessens certain kinds of outbreaks or keeps minor pests from becoming major pests in some cases.

I am up to week three on not mowing my lawn and I have not pulled out or cut down stuff yet. You are way ahead of me. I keep hoping a few goats or cows might come along and help me out. This is the time of year where they can pull a raid and I might not care as much.

I would pull out the tomato plants mostly for disease prevention. A quick way to get rid of the plants is to cut the plants at the stem base close to the soil with pruners and leave the stem in place until spring. This beats pulling up the roots and shaking the dirt off etc. In spring time the remaining stem will be easier to pull.

I pulled up everything as it seems easier with the tomato plants all in one piece.

I rotate my crops in my raised beds every year.

The carrots are still out there, nice and green. I'll get them soon.

I like to get everything ready for next year in the fall for a couple of reasons. One is that getting all the old plants out reduces disease and pests next year (as Sedum said.) Also, if I get my beds all weeded, any turning done that I want or need, and raked and ready to go, I can plant overwintering crops like garlic now as well as crops like peas early in the spring when the soil is too damp to be worked or walked on. (I just plant my peas near an edge or along a path and plant standing next to rather than in the garden.) It just gives me an earlier start on next year's garden than I would have if I needed to wait for things to dry out enough to work without damaging soil structure.

nhbabs, If you don't mind my asking, when do you plant your peas? I planted mine after Memorial Day this year which, I'm certain, is way too late.

gia6b, Thanks for the post. Good questions.

Best, Joanne

I plant peas in March. As soon as the ground can be worked.

The earliest I've ever planted peas is the first week in April. I don't know where you are, but up here the ground is just too cold before that for the seeds to germinate or to grow if I pregerminate them. (We often still get one or two good snowfalls in April.) Regardless, they don't do too much before mid April this far north (a bit north of Concord, NH.) Raised beds or a bed cover before planting to help warm the soil might tweek this time a couple of weeks earlier. You can plant several successive plantings of peas a couple of weeks apart to get continuous peas until about early August around here, though in Mass or farther south it's probably not quite as late. Potatoes are another crop that you can plant quite early, and I love the varied flavors and textures you can get in homegrown potatoes that aren't available in the store.

After Memorial Day is usually suggested for warm weather crops, like tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, etc. that won't tolerate any frost, though you can talk with gardeners in your area to see whether this is actually a good time where you are. I'm in a river valley and so often get late spring frosts, so this is actually a good time for me, since there are often frosts until about the third week of May.