Gardening is so fun and rewarding, we want to do it year ‘round! But when we’re planning our Fall garden, there are some things we need to keep in mind.

Assess your soil

The soil in your garden has been working very hard to keep your plants healthy and happy. Plants are just like us, they need food and water to stay alive. They take up nutrients from the soil just like we eat lunch and dinner. So, if they’ve depleted all their nutrients (cleaned their plates), their soil will need to be fertilized (plant food). Amending with fresh compost, Microlife 6-2-4, and Blood Meal will go a long way to keeping your plant buddies happy and producing.

Check for pests

Bugs can be a real nuisance in the garden. Check your plants all over (especially under the leaves) for aphids and whitefly. Insecticidal Soap Spray has become one of my go-to treatments for aphid and whitefly. Treat hard-shelled pests (pill bugs, roaches, beetles, etc) with Diatomaceous Earth (DE) and caterpillars with Bacillus thuringiensis (BT). These items can be found at most home supply or garden stores.

Remove old plants

Hey, sometimes, despite our best efforts, plants die. Go ahead and get those out of the ground so you have room for new, productive things. Sometimes plants aren’t dead, but their foliage has become leggy or turned brown and crispy. If you cut back the old, brown growth, the plant will send up new growth and become bushy and green.

Cover crops

If you’re not planning to have a Fall/Winter garden, consider cover cropping. Cover crops are useful when you’re letting your garden lay fallow because they inhibit soil compaction, suppress weeds and add nutritional value.

Great cover crops for the Houston region include Hairy Vetch, which is very winter hardy and produces purple flowers, and Crimson Clover, which not only has beautiful red flowers that bees love, but it also makes a lovely tea!

We hope these different options help you get your Fall bed ready for planting!