Fall Garden Checklist

take photos

I know, I know, this is what you’d expect from the Instagrammer, right? But seriously, taking some photos is the perfect way to document and remember what worked and what didn’t this year. Print them out or categorize them so you can refer back to them when you’re setting things up when the weather warms up. 

jot down some notes

If you haven’t already, take a few notes on all that’s happened in the garden over the last few months. What were your favorite plants? Which ones gave you lots of harvests? Which ones disappointed you? 

For me, I had loads of success with my black cherry and sungold tomatoes but wasn’t impressed with my cucumbers. Every season you’ve passed through will help guide you for the next if you take a few minutes to reflect on all that’s happened.

harvest all you can

Before frost or colder weather hits, get out and harvest all you can from the garden. Particularly important is to gather warmer weather fruits like tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and basil. These plants will slow down significantly with less sunshine and cooler temps (and the plants can start to take on disease), so grab your harvest basket and pick, pick, pick.

A few fun ways to use up your harvest is to dehydrate your fruit when you’ve picked too much for fresh eating. You can dehydrate fruit in an electric dehydrator or simply by placing in the oven at a low temperature (around 250 degrees) for four or so hours. 

clean up debris and treat pests

Raking isn’t just for the trees; it’s important to rake around your kitchen garden plants too. Don’t allow fallen or diseased leaves to remain on the surface of your garden for long. By clearing the soil area, you can uncover pests that are planning on overwintering in your garden and ensure a much healthier garden for winter or spring, depending on when you’re ready to plant again.

pot up plants to bring indoors

If you’re in a warmer climate, you may be able to overwinter some of your plants like eggplant and pepper right there in your garden. (This is certainly true for our Rooted Garden clients.) But if you’re in a cooler spot that will have frost and/or snow, this is a great time to pot up some of your favorite plants and bring the garden indoors. 

To pot up plants, prune the top of the plant to let the plant know you’re not expecting new production over the next few months. Then, carefully dig a wide circle around the base of the plant and work to pull up both the plant and a lot of the soil it’s currently growing in. 

Choose a pot that’s wide and deep enough to prevent root crowding on your plant and add a little extra sand and compost to the bottom of the pot before potting up your plant. 

Move your pot to a south-facing window and check the water level about once or twice a week, especially in the first few weeks.

Whatever you do, don't neglect the garden. Sometimes at the end of the season, we can feel a little 'over it' and end up just leaving the garden 'as is.' And while that's the easy way out at the moment, you'll regret the neglect when you're ready to start growing again next year.

So, make your garden checklist and just ignore all that indoor stuff—your garden needs you this fall!