November: Time to Put Your Garden to Bed

By Dot Zanotti

Fall is an important time in your garden. It is time to put your garden to bed and plan for spring.

Fall garden cleanup can help to keep your garden healthy and help get the garden ready for its spring renewal. Pull up dying annuals and vegetables. Check the garden after a frost to remove all damaged plants. Clean up any fruit that has been left on the ground. Perennial plants are left in the ground all winter, but all of the dieback needs to be discarded. Fall is also a good time to divide crowded perennials such as geraniums, daylilies and hostas. 

Clean up your vegetable garden and plant a cover crop like favas or peas to help replenish your soil if you have not planted winter veggies.

Clean your garden tools and emptied clay pots with a 10 percent bleach solution or other disinfectant to protect your tools from spreading diseases. Applying a light layer of oil will keep them from rusting if you will not be using them for awhile. Wash your garden gloves too.

Now is the best time to plant trees, shrubs, native plants and winter weather hardy perennials. The fall and winter rains help establish thriving root systems that will support lush top growth in spring. The nurseries have lots of great bulbs to plant now for a great spring show. Plant your sweet pea seeds against a trellis now and you will have months of enjoyment from them in late spring. 

There are so many great plants you can put out now that will give you great color all winter. Pansies, violas, cyclamen and primroses cheer up my entry and the deer don’t touch them. Put a pot of lettuces or chard near your door so you can easily pick a quick salad or stir fry even in winter. Six packs are at the nursery.

Turn off your sprinkler system. I cannot tell you how many times I take my early morning walks and see sprinklers running when it has just rained inches.

Your Marin Master Gardener website has so much more about fall gardening. To learn more and sign up for our free e-newsletter, The Leaflet, go to the Master Gardener website.