I’ve neglected the garden since Nature School ended –– maybe I needed some time to come indoors, rest and start transitioning to the cold weather.

But as the weeks go by the garden calls me and I’m starting to listen. Part of my neglect comes from thinking I’ll start recording Nature School Chronicles (the online version of the nature school) this winter and wanting to wait on all the tasks for when I do.

Preparing the garden for sleep is something I usually do in small bursts between fall and winter, and so I’m deciding what happens now and what can wait until I start recording Winter –– the first season of the online course.

So here’s what I'm going to take care of now, and what I’m leaving for later:

What I’m doing this Fall in the garden

Obviously the garden doesn’t need me to help it go to sleep, right? But there are things I can do to help facilitate the start of the spring garden and to support it now to re-nourish and stay healthy after a season of growing, and those are my main concerns.

So let’s look through what I need to do this week for the garden:

a three system compost bin — My easy to use, three system compost bin. All kitchen, garden and chicken coop scraps go into the first bin that’s currently overflowing.

1. Turn the compost bin

I work with a three bin compost system –– you can read more about it here. With this system, I put all our kitchen, garden and chicken coop scraps on the first bin, once that bin fills up (which usually happens twice a year in the fall and spring), I will turn it into the second bin and start filling up the first again. Once that first bin is full again, six months later, I will turn the second into the third, and the first into the second. So as you can imagine, twice a year, I have a new batch of compost ready to use on the third bin. Right now bin #1 is overflowing and needs to be turned so that’s step number 1.

garden trellis with a tomato plant that died with the first frost — The tomato trellis died after the first frost a couple of weeks ago. It’s time to remove all aerial parts and move into the compost.

2. Remove all tomato plants

This is an important step every fall. Once the tomato plants have died, which usually happens with the first frost since they are very cold sensitive plants, it’s important to cut the plants at the soil level and remove them. I will throw them in the compost (hence the need to turn it and open space for garden waste). Most plants can die in the garden and feed the soil for a new cycle of growth, but leaving tomato plants in place is a problem because they will feed a new batch of tomato hornworms and create a big problem for next year. So I always remove them. It doesn’t mean I won’t have to deal with hornworms next year but it does limit their food options in the spring, since all they eat is tomato plants.

a potato plant growing in a raised bed — The potato plant is almost all dead, but this little bud is still going strong.

3. Pull out potatoes from the raised bed

Growing potatoes in my garden isn’t easy. Squirrels and chickens love potato leaves and until this year they always won the war. So this summer I planted some Colombia yellow potatoes in a covered raised bed and finally successfully grew a big plant with lots of purple flowers. Now that the plant is almost all dead from the frost, it’s time to dig the roots out. I’m excited to see how many little golden potatoes we get!

4. Add a new layer of compost

This garden is a sanctuary for life above and below ground. We don’t till the soil as not to disturb the ecosystem that’s living underneath. So instead, at the end of the growing season, we simply add a new layer of compost over all raised beds, pots and ground plants to help re-nourish the soil for the new season. All the in-ground plants got a new layer of compost thanks to the kids at Nature School this season, so all I need to do is the raised beds and a few planters I have scattered around. But I’m thinking this is one of those things I’ll want to share in the online Winter nature school so I will hold on this until the winter.

5. Add a new layer of mulch

I will also hold on doing this until winter so it can be a part of the online course, but this is simply adding a layer of straw over the re-nourished raised beds to keep it protected and moist during the winter months.

Beautiful goldenrod growing strong in the fall garden.

6. Harvest goldenrod to make medicine for season allergies next spring

Goldenrod is always the last plant to bloom in the fall. It’s like this last bit a beautiful sunshine on a cold fall day. Many tend to confuse this plant with ragweed –– a hated weed that often brings up allergy symptoms like itchy eyes and a runny nose. But even though goldenrod and ragweed look similar, this beautiful plant is actually medicine for seasonal allergies, making it a great ally come next spring. So now I will harvest the healthy blooms, and create a tincture that will be ready to use next year when we need it the most.

What else are you doing this season to prepare your garden for sleep? I’d love to know.

Happy gardening!

- Daniela

Fall Garden Chores