Fall is the time to plant the spring flowering tulip, hyacinth, daffodil, crocus and iris bulbs for a profusion of color the next spring. Groupings of bulbs throughout the landscape will accent and highlight the garden. When used in naturalized settings of tall evergreens or among trees and broadleaf evergreens, they are particularly effective.
For fullest flavor and nutritional value, it is important to harvest your vegetables at the right time. Many can be harvested at just about any stage of their growth, but others do not have their best taste if they are picked when they are under-ripe or overripe; they must be harvested at exactly the right point in their development.
There isn’t a great deal that needs to be done in the lawn area during the fall. However, if you do spend a little extra time grooming it, the lawn will look better during the fall and winter and be in better growing condition by the time spring rolls around.
By using natural minerals and materials, by taking advantage of natural predators, and by recycling garden waste, the home gardener can maintain an organic garden quite successfully.
Once you have harvested your vegetables you can re-prepare the soil and seed a cover crop which helps build compost humus and a natural fertilizer to revitalize the soil for next years crops. Cover crops are relatively inexpensive, easy to seed, and provide a great source of ‘green manure’ for vegetable garden soils. It’s the natural way to revitalize the soil and suppress weed growth at the same time!
August and early September is the time for dividing many garden plants, The spring-flowering perennials, including aubrietia, candytuft and snow-on-the-mountain, plus primroses, hellebores, peonies and iris may be divided and transplanted at this time of the year.
Before autumn rains and frost come around, be sure to bring in any green tomatoes left in your garden. While you can always fry your green tomatoes, or even pickle them, setting them up to ripen indoors can prolong your enjoyment for your summer garden.