Garden to Bed: fall closeout checklist

Clear spent beds

Pull finished annuals. Remove diseased foliage. Leave healthy perennial stems for beneficials when pest-free.

• Pull spent annual vegetables and flowers
• Bag or destroy diseased foliage
• Leave healthy perennial stems and seed heads when pest-free
• Sketch where each vegetable grew for rotation

Finish harvest

Pick what frost will kill. Leave crops that sweeten in the cold.

• Run Frost Harvest Desk for tender vs leave-in crops
• Leave frost-sweetened crops in until needed

Plant while the window is open

Empty beds can still take garlic, spring bulbs, or a cover crop if your frost countdown still fits.

• Plant garlic if the fall window is still open
• Plant spring bulbs if soil is cool enough
• Sow a cover crop on empty beds

Mulch and protect

Cover bare soil. Wait to blanket tender perennial crowns until the ground freezes.

• Mulch bare beds and garlic or bulb plantings
• Protect tender or borderline-hardy perennials
• Empty frost-cracking pots and store them dry

Tools, water, and soil

Put irrigation and tools away before hard freezes.

• Drain hoses, drip lines, and outdoor faucets
• Clean, sharpen, and oil garden tools
• Bag a soil test bag if you have not tested in 3 years

Herbs and next season

Bring frost-tender herbs indoors. Use the winter herb guides for zone hardiness, rosemary, and basil timing.

• Bring tender herbs indoors (basil, rosemary in cold zones)
• Check which herbs survive winter in your zone
• Bring rosemary indoors if your zone is colder than about 8
• Note next-year seed needs while varieties are fresh in mind

Sources

• University of Minnesota Extension, Preparing your vegetable garden for fall
• Iowa State University Extension, Fall garden tasks
• University of Illinois Extension, Fall garden checklist
• University of Maryland Extension, Cover crops for gardens