Late fall is a perfect time for gardeners across Canada to prepare for the coming winter while enjoying the beauty of colorful autumn landscapes. With a few focused tasks, your garden will be ready for spring growth.
Vegetable Garden
Begin in the vegetable garden by cleaning up and discarding debris after frost, especially tomato, pepper, and squash plants that may carry disease. Harvest tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, melons, and sweet potatoes before frost strikes, or cover them with blankets for protection.
Pick green tomatoes and ripen them indoors by wrapping each fruit in newspaper to extend their freshness.
Plant cool-season crops like radishes, lettuce, and spinach for a late harvest, using low tunnels, cold frames, or hot beds to extend the growing season.
Collect winter squash and pumpkins with a few inches of stem for better storage and remove tomato cages and stakes before winter.
Flower Gardens
In flowerbeds, plant spring bulbs among groundcovers and perennials so new growth hides dying bulb foliage in spring. After frost, dig and store tender bulbs such as cannas, caladiums, elephant ears, gladiolus, and dahlias in a dark, cool, dry place. Clean around perennial flowers like roses and peonies to prevent pests and diseases, and mark spots of late-emerging plants to avoid damaging them later. Prune dead or diseased branches from trees and shrubs while they are easy to identify and dispose of fallen leaves from diseased trees to stop the spread of pathogens.
Remember that fall is an excellent time to plant new trees and shrubs. Protect young trees with guards to keep rabbits and deer away. Allow natural pine needle shedding, which is normal in fall. Finally, use fallen leaves as mulch or add them to compost instead of burning or discarding them.
These tasks help your garden stay healthy through winter and ensure a vibrant return when spring arrives.