By Soncirey Mitchell
Reader Staff
The leaves are changing, days are shortening and nights are cooling down; autumn is right around the corner. Sandpoint’s first frost usually blankets the ground around Sept. 20, but, in the past, it’s come as early as the first week of the month. As soon as blooms begin to fade and leaves yellow, it’s time to start preparing the garden for the colder months. Though it’s a hassle after toiling all summer, any work done now will make things easier in spring — and keep plants healthy and abundant.
Tidying up
As the leaves on shrubs and trees begin to fall away, it can be tempting to break out the shears and trim back some unruly branches. Now is not the time to watch that YouTube tutorial on shaping topiaries. One of the benefits of pruning is that, when done properly, it encourages growth below the cut. New growth in late August and September will die when hard frost comes, as it hasn’t had time to “harden off” or acclimate to the changing weather.
Because there are no hard and fast rules in life, there is a common exception: the raspberry. Everbearing or primocane-fruiting raspberries, which produce fruit in summer and fall, should be cut almost to the ground every fall to ensure a bountiful harvest. Floricane-fruiting raspberries, which only produce one batch of berries, arequire a little more care.. Take note of which canes fruited this year — those are the “floricanes” — and cut them back close to the ground, leaving the young canes to flower next season. For either type of raspberry, wait until all the fruit is gone and the leaves have yellowed and dried to remove anything.
Pruning tip: To prevent the spread of disease, disinfect shears or scissors with rubbing alcohol in between plants. When cutting away a diseased portion of an otherwise healthy plant, disinfect before pruning any other part of the plant.
At this time, perennial flowers like daylilies, mums and coneflowers will also start to fade and wither. As the individual flowers die, cut off each head to encourage more flowers through a process called “deadheading.” Eventually, when the leaves start to fade as well, it’s time to cut down the plant either to the beginning of its healthy growth or to a few inches above the soil. If left alone, the dead stems can act as conduits for disease and damage to travel into the roots.
Some gardeners will recommend cutting away as much of the garden as possible and removing dead annuals in the fall. This is beneficial because it clears away any debris that could be harboring pests and disease. Unfortunately, it also takes away winter hiding places for beneficial insects like native bees, which can nest in hollowed-out stems or burrow under roots. To strike a balance between the opposing viewpoints, I remove all plants that were diseased or decimated by pests. Anything that remains healthy throughout the growing season becomes winter housing for insects.
Making the bed
Winter is a great time to improve garden soil — and I don’t mean adding fertilizer. Like pruning, fertilizer will encourage growth at the wrong time. Instead, reach for compost, manure and mulch, all of which will protect plants from the cold, build up the soil and break down over the cold months.
Of the three, manure is perhaps the trickiest (and stinkiest) to work with. Common animals like cows and horses that defecate in piles do not fully digest the grass and hay they consume, leaving viable seeds behind in the manure. These will sprout into weeds if placed directly in the garden. Manure from animals like deer and rabbits, which produce pellets, does not have this problem. Either way, manure can be high in urea — a nitrogen-rich element in urine — that, in large quantities, will give plants a chemical burn.
To avoid common issues, it’s best to let manure sit and decompose for four months or more before placing it in the garden. If you haven’t been living with a rotting pile of poo since May, just throw down some homemade or store-bought compost and call it a day.
Staying up past bedtime
Cold-hardy plants like peas and leafy greens will continue to produce until killed by frost, and even summer vegetables can stay awake past their bedtimes with the proper care. If tearing out this year’s crops seems too painful, prolong the growing season by keeping plants warm. Cover up the soil with gardening cloth (or old towels) to keep in the heat, then protect the leaves from frost with a miniature greenhouse. Most gardening stores sell small plastic greenhouses that can cover rows or garden beds, but you can also simply put some stakes in the ground and throw a tarp over everything. Both methods will trap moisture, so be sure to air out the plants daily to keep them from developing powdery mildew or other types of rot.
Though the time to say goodnight to the garden is fast approaching, remember to give a thought to next year’s blooms. Fall is the time to plant garlic cloves, spring bulbs, trees and shrubs so they’re ready to sprout when the snow melts. Bear in mind when buying bulbs — or any plant, really — that garden stores sell stock that cannot survive North Idaho’s winters. Always check that plants are hardy to at least 5 degrees, and if not, either don’t buy them or plan to dig them up and store them inside when it gets cold.
