Putting Your Garden to Bed (and other Fall Gardening techniques) Author

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3 Maryland Master Gardeners Vision: a healthier world through environmental stewardship. Mission: to educate Maryland residents about practices that build healthy gardens, landscapes, and communities.

4 Putting the Garden to Bed and other Fall chores Putting the Garden to Bed and other Fall chores Preparing for Spring NOW Preparing for Spring NOW Extending the season Extending the season Fall vegetables and fruits Fall vegetables and fruits Using and Storing the harvest Using and Storing the harvest Fall Gardening

5 Fall Chores and Preparing for Spring now

6 Fall Chores For a Healthy Garden Deal with weeds Deal with weeds – Annual weeds – Perennial weeds [GOOGLE: Rutgers weeds]

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8 Fall Chores For a Healthy Garden CLEAN DEBRIS from garden. CLEAN DEBRIS from garden. – Leave vegetable roots in place – Dig in or remove summer mulch Add new mulch only after ground freezes. Add new mulch only after ground freezes.

9 Fall Chores For a Healthy Garden INCREASE ORGANIC MATTER! INCREASE ORGANIC MATTER! – Dig in compost or other organic matter – leave until spring

10 Increasing organic matter for Long-term soil improvement Large amounts of organic matter may be needed for several years. Thereafter, 1 in. of compost will help maintain high yields.

11 (What is organic matter?) Leaves, grass Vegetable scraps- peels, etc. (no butter!!!) Manure (from vegetarian animals only) Other plant parts (disease and pest free, please) including cover crops

12 Reminder No fats, meats, or dairy in the garden ever! – (Egg shells are OK without the egg) No salt

13 Using leaves Dig into garden in Fall OR Collect and chop leaves – leave them in plastic bags with some water until they become leaf mold OR – Save for making compost

14 Using vegetable scraps You can bury nitrogen-rich materials, like grass clippings, coffee grounds, and peels, in furrows or holes OR add to your compost pile

15 Using manure Purchase composted manure to stay friends with the neighbors OR Add to compost pile – Never use FRESH manure in the garden – Never use cat, dog manure

16 Adding manure Manure must be composted or it will burn the plants

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18 A few words about compost Compost is plant matter that has decomposed Supplies trace elements Makes soil crumbly Use to improve soil, continue using even on excellent soil

19 Making compost –5 Ingredients Green materials – the source of nitrogen Brown materials – the source of carbon Air (oxygen)- so the aerobic bacteria work, and the anaerobic bacteria don’t Water (but not too much)- bacteria require moisture to work The bacteria – add a shovel full of compost to help get it started.

20 Everything contains both Carbon and Nitrogen in different amounts C:N carbon above 40 Leaves 55:1 Corn cobs 98:1 Wood chips 600:1 Phone book 770:1 C:N carbon below 40 Vegetable waste 13:1 Grass 17:1 Coffee grounds 20:1 Horse manure 30:1

21 The Slow, Easy Way: Sheet composting $ Some people who use the “lasagna” method do not turn over the soil. They plant through the layers. (Do early in Fall)

22 Adding Organic Materials Using cover crops Cover crops are planted in the fall and then dug into the garden in late Spring

23 Cover crops Are living mulch Improve and protect soils Increase soil organic matter. Mine the soil for nutrients. Protect soil from erosion. Add nitrogen to the soil *

24 Cover crops Some crops, (clovers and other legumes like peas), increase the amount of nitrogen in the soil. A one-time purchase of “nitrogen fixing bacteria” improves this action. Buckwheat attracts bees. They then help pollinate the garden.

25 More about Cover crops  A tiller $ makes turning under the cover crop easy. Hand turning is far less expensive. Rye and Winter wheat are difficult to hand turn, but their massive root systems improve heavy clay soils.

26 Extending the Season

27 Extending the season Protection – Tunnels – Cold Frames – Cloches Mulch Using the right plants Providing Sufficient nutrients Sufficient water

28 Extending the season – Protection “Bell jars” – bottles Water tubes Tunnels Cold Frames

29 Extending the season with cold Frames Plans: GOOGLE: garden gate cold frame

30 Extending the season with Cold Frames Use to: – Grow seedlings started under lights in the spring – Plant cool weather crop or root vegetables in fall. – Protect tender perennials in winter. Insulate with blankets during cold snap nights Lift lid to prevent excessive heat on sunny days Keep plants lightly hydrated

31 Mulch Potassium in soil Grow cold- loving plants Spinach Snow Peas Lettuces Provide Protection Keep Hydrated !

32 Vegetables and Fruits in Fall

33 Perennial vegetables Perennials are plants that return each Spring if cared for properly Examples: Asparagus, rhubarb It is important to protect them from damaging frost – cover with mulch

34 Caring for Perennials Asparagus -Cut to 2 inch stubs after frost, Add 4 to 6 inches mulch Rhubarb - Top dress with composted manure Strawberries - Mulch with straw or organic materials 4” deep after soil freezes Raspberries/blackberries - In winter, remove floracanes which have borne fruit Blueberries - Protect with pine bark mulch, rotted sawdust, or compost around the base of the bush

35 Planting Fall Crops: Garlic! Purchase bulbs to plant in October from a seed/plant company; not from grocery store! Choose full sun location Weed area and amend soil with compost Separate cloves and plant them pointed end up, 2 inches deep and 5 inches apart

36 Top dress with compost or mulch to deter weeds In Spring add fresh layer of compost or mulch Remove any flower stalks to insure large bulbs Harvest when foliage yellows and falls over. Usually in July here. Store in dry cool location

37 Using and Storing the Harvest

38 How to Store the Harvest In-ground growing Unheated attic- onions Unheated basement – Winter squash and pumpkin (stems on) Root cellar Pits with containers Specialized treatments (tomatoes)

39 How to Store the Harvest Drying Freezing Canning Preserving Pickling

40 Reminders for “Putting the Garden to Bed” Remove all rotten fruit from the ground around trees; insect infestations last through winter. Leave vegetable roots in place but remove diseased tomato, potato, and squash foliage to prevent disease. Do not toss these plants in the compost. Bag and discard. Remove dead branches from roses and fruit trees (no pruning yet).

41 Leave dried flowers, ornamental grasses, and seed heads that look good and provide food for birds. Protect perennials from frost heaving by mulching after the ground freezes. Protect ornamentals such as azaleas and berry bushes from bud-eating deer with deer netting.

42 Build a simple compost bin or add to your present one all Winter long. Plant spring bulbs. Including garlic Plant cover crops after harvest to correct soil compaction. Clean and sharpen tools blades Plan next year’s garden!

43 Thanks for coming- let’s talk!

44 Composting

45 Making compost- Which method? Cold composting – Slow (may not be ready for up to a year) Hot composting (The heat is created when certain bacteria work on the right combination of materials) – Requires a lot of material at one time- Leaves- collect now Grass- Early spring grass is full of nitrogen!!!

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47 The winning formula : 30 parts Carbon: 1 part Nitrogen

48 Making compost - Directions 1.Gather both kinds of materials – in small pieces 2.Add alternate layers, with a few larger pieces interspersed to assure better air circulation 3.Allow rain to water the pile (or do it yourself)

49 Directions for making compost 2 4.Incorporate air any way you can. A pitchfork is ideal. 5.Cover if a lot of rain is expected 6.Check on consistency- is it ready? (Wear gloves). 7.Screen to remove chunks (return them to the pile) 8.Dry and store, or use immediately

50 Tips If making cold compost, you can continue to add coffee grounds, peels, egg shells, etc. and balance with chopped leaves, shredded paper, etc. GRASS is ideal for heating up the bin! Store carbon source in fall and winter to use in summer when nitrogen source becomes available

51 About landfill compost In Harford County, the Scarboro landfill has compost and mulch available $ They accept organic materials to put into the compost pile. Concerns answered (Joe Rutherford) Concerns answered (Joe Rutherford): herbicide residue, noxious and invasive weeds, pathogens

Resources Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC) – – Grow-It-Eat-It website – Master Gardener state website –

This program was brought to you by Maryland Master Gardener Program Howard County University of Maryland Extension