skip to main content

Square Foot Gardening

What to do to my garden for fall and winter?

13 years ago

My vegetable garden is coming to an end. I am still waiting on some carrots but otherwise everything else is done producing. This was my first garden and now I have no idea what to do to prepare the garden for fall and winter. I have read of planting rye grass but not sure if that is a good idea or not or even a good idea for where I live. I plan to pull out all the plants and put that in my compost pile. I do not have any compost ready and my store bought stuff is gone. Not sure I can still buy any. Does it matter if I add compost in the fall or if I wait until spring? Do I need to plant anything in the garden for winter or can I just till it and leave it alone? Thanks for any help.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

engineeredgarden
13 years ago
Is this a conventional in-ground garden?

EG
carrieann0413
Original Author
13 years ago
It is a raised bed square foot garden
Related Discussions
What indoor gardening do you do during the winter?
Q
Comments (5)
Just last night(okay,late last night),I got around to following up on an impulse I picked up over in the terrariums forum where Paul was saying that his ters are planted in long fiber sphagnum moss. Having picked some up recently,I started plugging handfuls into a couple of tanks and un-potting various plants to set free in their new medium. The air circulation around those roots is much improved now,even if they are free to creep around in there without the constriction of their previous containers. When the time comes to liberate them from the tank,the whole mess may pull out in one big slab,and might be a pain to un-knit,but right now I'm not worried about all that. Playing around under glass is always a big part of what keeps me sane in the wintertime. I just love my ters. :)
...See More
cuttings in fall/winter & what do you do to keep boredom at bay
Q
Comments (13)
Andi, I don't know how to graft a tree, but a ton of info can be found on Gw. I guess once you know how it's done, it's a cinch..I'd need to watch someone actually do it, would love to learn. I think growing a fruit cockatail tree w/4-5 different citrus on one tree would be a great idea. Suzanne, you're sure correct about growing other things in mid-winter..I know plants like geraniums and petunias grown from seed need to be started in January.. Dale, wow, that is expensive for a tangerine!! What type did you buy? Will you sow the seeds then after it grows graft? I planted key limes seeds, but doubt they'll germinate. First, they're in a cool room w/o bottom heat, so that's a negative right there. It was an experiment, and if they work, they do, if not, so be it. Andi, if you have a camera you can alway take pics..that is time consuming. Yesterday I spent more than 2 hours taking pics of my cactus and succulents, then dl'ing online. If you get garden/tropical catalogs, browsing through them, making lists of what you want next spring is fun. I get a ton of catalogs, too many.. I also enjoy reading plant books. It's a good time to sit back, and like Suzanne said, sip a nice hot cup of cinnomon spice tea, or the tea/coffee/hot chocolate of your choice and read away. If you don't have books, check at the library. The computer is informative, but sometimes it's relaxing sitting on your favorite chair, under appropriate light. Andi, you never answered, do you have plants other than citrus? Toni
...See More
Fall/Winter garden update...
Q
Comments (4)
Thankyou for the nice comments, I get so much reading these forums and enjoy your posts and pics. I harvested about 3 times more Rattlesnake beans and gave some to my Mom. She said she had a heck of a time washing off the 'dirt', She thought the purple markings were dirt. We both got a good laugh out of that! Larry
...See More
Fall/Winter Gardening
Q
Comments (3)
I'm not the best one to answer, GarnerGarden. My plan is always to clear and clean the gardens by November 1st. Mostly, this has to do with gardening on other people's property. "They" seem to like looking at bare dirt 6 months out of the year. I am also not much of a container gardener. (Altho', I've gotta say that my 3 tomato plants in 5 gallon containers sure look a lot better than my tomato plants in the open garden this year! Dang wind.) If you are thinking of growing outdoors in containers - wow. That block of frozen soil may not do it for you as a growing medium. I will be moving some Asian greens into an unheated greenhouse for the winter. This will be mostly bok choy. I grow a lot of that green and not only because we have a lot of stir-fry in this home. It can handle cool weather conditions. Bok choy bolts in hot weather - however, it also seems to "want" to bolt if it is coming out of severe cold. In other words, stress from the cold results in quick bolting as soon as it warms up. If it is just living thru a couple of light frosts, young bok choy can handle that. It grew very well in that greenhouse last winter. I used 15of outdoor temperatures as a guide as to when to cover it in the greenhouse with a 2nd layer of plastic film. Sub-zero had me pulling a tarp over it, as well. My first volunteer/overwintered crop in the garden is Purple Orache. It is a fairly close spinach relative so that doesn't add much to your ideas. Any chance you will have some open ground to plant in or a way to protect your balcony containers this winter? Steve
...See More
engineeredgarden
13 years ago
CarrieAnn - The only thing you wanna do in the fall is send a soil sample to your local extension office. Where I live, we have to add lime every fall, because of the frequency of rainfall. However, your location probably doesn't require that, unless the soil test indicates a low ph. No cover crop needed - especially in such a small area. Compost should be added in the spring, at planting time.....

EG
eaglesgarden
13 years ago
You could also add a nice thick layer of fall leaves over the garden - shredded is best. Water them as you place them so that they stay in place. I would then till the leaves in once the spring comes. Leaves improve soil tilth, although depending on the leaves, it might drop the pH.

Another option: Put shredded leaves over your garden space. (Be sure to wet them down as you lay them to hold them in place.) Then, when the spring comes, rake the leaves back off the soil (and reserve) let the soil warm up from the spring sun, and plant. Replace the leaves as a mulch over your garden. Then you can either till the leaves into the soil come the following fall or put the year old leaves into the compost with the plant remains from that year, and put new leaves down in your garden to repeat the cycle.

Personally, I would incorporate the leaves into the soil in the fall - worms LOVE leaves! (And I love worms, so I do whatever I can to make them happy.)
greenbean08_gw
13 years ago
Because my garden was filled "lasagna-style", I need to top off the beds in the fall to replace what was broken down over the summer. I empty the compost bin (finished or not), toss in some leaves & coffee grounds etc and top off with straw to put them to "bed" for the season. This year, I'll be sure to water the beds well- last winter was dry and things didn't break down as well as they did the year before.

eaglesgarden - worms also seem to be very happy with split-open pumpkins in the fall. Just make sure you remove the seeds first - they'll sprout & come bursting out in massive clumps in the spring.
From Tales of a Transplanted Gardener
foolishpleasure
13 years ago
All summer long I racked my grass clipping and put it in plastic bags and bagged the tree leaves I gathered from the yard. I have about 50 of these bags. I am planning to spread the grass clipping, the leaves and the old plants in the entire garden (60X60)then use the Tiller to mix it. Since I don't have a compost hole I hope this will work as a compost. If I am doing any thing wrong please speak out I will listen.
mackga
13 years ago
Fill your Raised Beds with as many leafs as you can and then put on a cover crop of rye grass. Feed your soil!

Here is a link that might be useful: Check out the Barry Gardens
sinfonian
13 years ago
I vote nothing. Just add some compost when you replant. That's the SFG way and has worked for me.

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES Garden Myths to Debunk as You Dig This Fall and Rest Over Winter

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Termites hate wood mulch, don’t amend soil for trees, avoid gravel in planters — and more nuggets of garden wisdom

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Fall Checklist: 8 Ways to Winterize Your Patio

By Vanessa Brunner

See how to get your deck or patio ready for cold, wet weather — and keep things in good shape for next spring

DECORATING GUIDES Decorating With Nature in Fall and Winter

By Laura Gaskill

Bringing the beauty of the changing seasons inside is easy and inexpensive. Here are 16 ideas to get you started

WINTER GARDENING 10 Native Wildflowers to Beautify Your Winter Garden

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

They stand strong in wind, feed wildlife and are easy to grow. But you may want to add these plants for their looks alone

FALL GARDENING Make This Fall’s Garden the Best Ever

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Learn the most important tip for preventing buyer’s remorse, plus get more valuable buying and planting advice

GARDENING GUIDES Fall Is Calling: What to Do in Your October Garden

By Annie Thornton

Get a jump on winter prep or just sit back and watch the leaves fall. The beauty of an autumn garden is in all the choices you have

FALL GARDENING Great Design Plant: Symphyotrichum Novae-Angliae Ushers in Fall

By Pollination Press LLC

With bold purple flowers easily accessible to pollinators, New England aster offers loads of interest in the autumn garden

GARDENING GUIDES 10 Late-Winter and Early-Spring Bloomers for the West

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Tired of waiting for spring to arrive? Try these drought-tolerant, flowering plants for color that starts in late winter

YELLOW FLOWERS Great Design Plant: Winter Jasmine Gladdens Snowy Gardens

Sunny yellow flowers defy the frost, bringing cheer to the garden on gray days

FALL GARDENING Great Design Plant: Oligoneuron Rigidum Brightens Fall Gardens

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Create a pollinator feeding ground with this cheery, fuss-free goldenrod, formerly known as Solidago rigida, native to much of the U.S.

Sponsored