Katherine Clarkson

With our short growing season ending, it is time for fall garden prep. This will not only enhance the appearance of the yard, but it will also ensure your garden gets some TLC. 

Check the following off your garden to-do list so an unexpected early hard frost or snowfall does not catch you by surprise.

Start with garden cleanup. Remove spent plants so they do not harbor diseases and pests. Clean up fallen fruit because rotten fruit attracts pests. Also, pull all weeds before they go to seed. 

If you have any plants with a disease, dispose of them. Do not put them in your compost. 

Next, dig up any summer bulbs such as dahlias, and store them in a brown bag until spring. Make sure you label the bags and store them in a cool, dark place over the winter. 

In addition, remove any supports such as a tomato cage and clean with a one to nine bleach-to-water ratio. 

Subsequently, you want to prepare the soil. To do this, start by loosening compacted soil. Not only will this help the roots get water, it is an excellent stress reliever. You do not need to till, just break the soil up with a pickax or garden fork. 

After that, you will need to add some nutrients back to the soil. Add a slow-released fertilizer and mix it in with a garden fork. Or use manure that is properly decomposed. Failure to do this can cause health risk and burn the roots. 

Once your garden is cleaned and after the first deep frost, top everything off with 2 to 4 inches of fresh mulch.  

Fresh mulch is an organic matter that is spread over the top of your soil as a protective and nutrient-dense covering. It is best to mix your own mulch to replenish the specific nutrients your soil needs. I use a mixture of chipped wood, shredded leaves, glacier gold compost, and newspaper. Yes, I said newspaper. Newspaper helps retain moisture. It adds nitrogen to your soil and only takes six to eight weeks to breakdown. In the past ink contained lead. However, presently over 90% of ink used is soy. Plant compounds, crushed shells from crustaceans, wax, paraffin, and various pigments make up the remaining percent. Once you lay the mulch down, water it, so our Wyoming wind does not blow it away.

If you enjoy fresh garlic, now is the time to plant it. You want to wait until nighttime temperatures are around 50 degrees Fahrenheit for two weeks before you plant garlic. This will prevent it from emerging and will give it time to establish a root structure. Next, plant the garlic 6 inches apart and cover it with 4 to 6 inches of equal parts of shredded leaves, straw, and grass clippings. Only use grass clippings that are free of pesticides.

We have heard the old saying that timing is everything. With gardening, timing is essential. Take the time now to get things ready for spring. Then, sit back and start dreaming about next year’s garden. 

Thank you for reading and if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at katherineclarkon2@gmail.com or parkcountymg.weebly.com/contact.html

(Katherine Clarkson is the president of the Park County Master Gardeners. She lives in Wapiti.)