Fall is here (for most of us) and it's time to pick those last peppers that are dangling from what's left of your plants. For some of us the trees are all turning and the hard frost is knocking at the door. Others have already had a frost that put an end to their season. Sure the gold and red foliar that shimmers in the sun is a beautiful time of year and a heartwarming sight to see. On the other hand, our gardens are the opposite, shriveled up leaves hanging from bare branches or maybe they are turning yellow from the bottom up and you know the end is near. Now sure you say the same thing is happening to the trees but the trees do not produce such beautiful fruit (the ones I'm talking about guys, don't get all technical about it and start talking about your apple, orange and pear trees lol, roll with it, I'm going for imagery here) the hot fire that spices up everything we eat....the music has stopped for which the Douglah danced.
Now to come to the point and topic at hand. There are ways to extend the life of your garden! I know a lot of people that started late, some their plants had issues and didn't set fruit in time and are left with plants filled with useless pods and others that are almost there, they can feel it but know the frost will be there tomorrow! This article is for you.
Another big portion of this post that I would like to fill, will be with information on how to protect your garden through the winter and other ways we can prepare it for next spring. Many people can benefit from this kind of information that didn't already know. This article is for you too.
What I would like to do is have everyone with any tips, tricks or knowledge to post what you know. Let all of us know how you extend the life of your garden and what you do once it is finally time to shut things down.
There are many things that you can do in the fall that will make your garden a rich environment for the next growing season that you can't do once it is already spring.
I'm going to start things off. Now I don't have much to add myself, I have been searching and found a few thoughts on the matter. (and yes people this article is as much for me as I intend it to be for you)
I ask all of the Master green thumbs to share the wealth of knowledge you have on these subjects and please be descriptive as to what you do and in what way it will help. (If you feel like going for the "extra credit" you can even go into detail as to why it will help.)
TIP#1
Don't bag up and throw out your leaves! (I know to a lot it's a no brainer) These leaves can be used in so many ways it's ridiculous. Here are a few of the ways.
Mulch- Once the leaves have fallen, you can go over them with your lawn mower. wet them down a little and then put them in a garbage bag. After a while it turns into leaf mold. This is great to use for mulch around your plants. Leaves are filled with micro nutrients and carbon and are a great source of organic material. Use them like you would any other mulch avoiding letting them contact the base of your plants. They also don't carry that fungi that hard wood mulches do. You know the black spots all over your siding that you can't wash all the way off. Those spores can be thrown as far as 30ft.
Compost- Once your garden is done for the year, you can cut all of those pepper plants down and throw them in your compost pile. Take the leaves that you've mowed over and cover those plants with a 2 to 3 inch layer, then water it down. You can go as far as to cover that with a thin layer of soil as well. Turn the pile when you remember, which allows oxygen in and helps break down the pile. Once spring has arrived you will have some compost ready to go. (green matter will not compost by itself)
Garden Cover- After you have cleared out the garden and added it to your pile. Take some of the leaves you chopped up with the lawnmower and blanket your garden with about a 2 to 3 in layer. This will protect your soil from frost heaving (frost heaving damages soil by compaction, breaking soil bonds, creating poor aeration and poor drainage) it will also promote worm activity, breaking down the mulched leaves into valuable nutrients for the following spring. Anything that does not get broken down will get tilled into the garden in early spring. (Tilling your garden in the fall is a good way to push weed seeds deep as to avoid them germinating in the spring)
as a side note to that, you can also plant a cover crop to provide protection and beneficial nutrients for the following year.
I also suggest getting your soil tested if you are having problems in your garden. If you have poor drainage, small harvests, stunted plants, etc. You can send a sample of your soil out and have them test it. It cost around 12-30 dollars depending on what you want them to test for. They can tell you the available NPK, micro nutrients and anything else you want to know about your soil. They can also tell you the total NPK etc. that is in your soil, yet to have been broken down. Soil PH and what percentage of sand, silt and clay make up your soil are also options. I'm sending mine away in a few weeks.
So this is what I have so far. If anyone sees any conflicts to what I've added or have more to add to it, please feel free. Otherwise add anything and everything that you do to extend your garden life and do to your soil in the fall to prepare it for the spring.
Thanks everyone, I know this will become a great thread to help people prepare their garden for next years pepper madness!
Now to come to the point and topic at hand. There are ways to extend the life of your garden! I know a lot of people that started late, some their plants had issues and didn't set fruit in time and are left with plants filled with useless pods and others that are almost there, they can feel it but know the frost will be there tomorrow! This article is for you.
Another big portion of this post that I would like to fill, will be with information on how to protect your garden through the winter and other ways we can prepare it for next spring. Many people can benefit from this kind of information that didn't already know. This article is for you too.
What I would like to do is have everyone with any tips, tricks or knowledge to post what you know. Let all of us know how you extend the life of your garden and what you do once it is finally time to shut things down.
There are many things that you can do in the fall that will make your garden a rich environment for the next growing season that you can't do once it is already spring.
I'm going to start things off. Now I don't have much to add myself, I have been searching and found a few thoughts on the matter. (and yes people this article is as much for me as I intend it to be for you)
I ask all of the Master green thumbs to share the wealth of knowledge you have on these subjects and please be descriptive as to what you do and in what way it will help. (If you feel like going for the "extra credit" you can even go into detail as to why it will help.)
TIP#1
Don't bag up and throw out your leaves! (I know to a lot it's a no brainer) These leaves can be used in so many ways it's ridiculous. Here are a few of the ways.
Mulch- Once the leaves have fallen, you can go over them with your lawn mower. wet them down a little and then put them in a garbage bag. After a while it turns into leaf mold. This is great to use for mulch around your plants. Leaves are filled with micro nutrients and carbon and are a great source of organic material. Use them like you would any other mulch avoiding letting them contact the base of your plants. They also don't carry that fungi that hard wood mulches do. You know the black spots all over your siding that you can't wash all the way off. Those spores can be thrown as far as 30ft.
Compost- Once your garden is done for the year, you can cut all of those pepper plants down and throw them in your compost pile. Take the leaves that you've mowed over and cover those plants with a 2 to 3 inch layer, then water it down. You can go as far as to cover that with a thin layer of soil as well. Turn the pile when you remember, which allows oxygen in and helps break down the pile. Once spring has arrived you will have some compost ready to go. (green matter will not compost by itself)
Garden Cover- After you have cleared out the garden and added it to your pile. Take some of the leaves you chopped up with the lawnmower and blanket your garden with about a 2 to 3 in layer. This will protect your soil from frost heaving (frost heaving damages soil by compaction, breaking soil bonds, creating poor aeration and poor drainage) it will also promote worm activity, breaking down the mulched leaves into valuable nutrients for the following spring. Anything that does not get broken down will get tilled into the garden in early spring. (Tilling your garden in the fall is a good way to push weed seeds deep as to avoid them germinating in the spring)
as a side note to that, you can also plant a cover crop to provide protection and beneficial nutrients for the following year.
I also suggest getting your soil tested if you are having problems in your garden. If you have poor drainage, small harvests, stunted plants, etc. You can send a sample of your soil out and have them test it. It cost around 12-30 dollars depending on what you want them to test for. They can tell you the available NPK, micro nutrients and anything else you want to know about your soil. They can also tell you the total NPK etc. that is in your soil, yet to have been broken down. Soil PH and what percentage of sand, silt and clay make up your soil are also options. I'm sending mine away in a few weeks.
So this is what I have so far. If anyone sees any conflicts to what I've added or have more to add to it, please feel free. Otherwise add anything and everything that you do to extend your garden life and do to your soil in the fall to prepare it for the spring.
Thanks everyone, I know this will become a great thread to help people prepare their garden for next years pepper madness!
