Our Top Tips for Your Fall Garden

Fall is an important time in the annual cycle of garden care because it provides a unique opportunity to prepare for the seasons ahead. Here are our top tips to help you take full advantage of these cooler autumn months.

Take a Moment with Yourself

As the warm weather winds down, we like to turn our attention to tasks that will set our gardens up for success next year. Now is the time to gently cut back dead blooms and stalks, plus remove dead or diseased plants. Do some light weeding or raking, but tidy up your yard mindfully and leave small piles for beneficial insects and pollinators to nest in. Wherever possible, let the leaves remain and decompose in place to help feed your soil.

Consider where you might have extra space for flowering perennials to plant in fall that will feed pollinators in the spring. Think about adding some low maintenance vegetables. Dream a little. Let a plan start forming in your mind. Then come to the nursery and tell us what you’re imagining for your cool-weather garden.

Plant Cool Veggies

Nutrient-dense leafy greens and root veggies prefer the chilly months of the year. Plus, the damage from plant-munching pests is greatly reduced as the weather cools. Fall crops to plant include fast-growing lettuces, tasty greens, and crunchy radishes, which you can harvest early for salads and stir fries. Vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli need more time to mature, as do roots-y crops like carrots, turnips, onions, and garlic.

For best results with your fall vegetable garden: 

• Prepare your garden soil by adding high quality compost.
• Use healthy plant starts for above ground plantings.
• Use seeds or bulbs for underground veggies.
• Water thoroughly and mulch lightly after transplanting.
• Keep a close eye on your garden’s watering needs as fall temperatures swing up and down.

Feed Your Soil for the Seasons Ahead

 Compost and mulch are your garden's best friends at this time of the year. They quietly support the diverse microbial communities that live underground and help your plants thrive. You can feed your soil in 3 simple steps:

1. Place several handfuls of compost around the base of all your trees, shrubs, and perennials. 
2. Water the compost into the ground thoroughly. This may take more than one pass to hydrate your soil along with the compost. 
3. Apply mulch generously up to a few inches from the trunk or central stem. Leave a small circle of un-mulched soil and compost to promote airflow and good plant health.

This single soil care activity will pay huge dividends by supercharging your plants for the seasons ahead. It makes them more drought tolerant in hot weather as well as more resilient during unexpected climate related events.

Visit The Evergreen Nursery for your fall garden needs

If you're looking for help with your fall garden plants in San Leandro, we are here to support you. We carry a full range of supplies including planting mixes, fertilizers, bulk compost & soil, bulk mulches & bark, watering supplies, cutting tools, products for pest, disease, and weed control, and more. We also have a wide selection of fall perennial plants that are pollinator friendly and water-wise, including many California Natives. Plus, we offer local delivery service, which can be extra helpful with transporting items like bulk compost to your residence. Drop by our nursery on San Leandro Boulevard to chat with our friendly staff any time. Contact us at (510) 632-1522 or visit our website to learn more.