Getting My Garden Ready for Fall!

What a blessing it has been to have a garden again this year. I have enjoyed the whole process from picking out what veggies to plant....working up the soil...planting...Yep, I even enjoyed the weeding....and finally the harvesting and canning! Since canning has slowed down for most of us, I would talk a little bit about what I plan to do now, in the fall, to get my garden ready for next year!

First: Finish getting the corn husks, and left over tomato plants out of the garden.
Second: Tilling up the soil again...I always love how it looks when it's freshly tilled!
Third: Amend the soil (I already added a little horse manure in this past Spring)...I am planning to go and buy some amended soil (I want to add in a good mix of sand, compost, and other organic materials...It should be under $20 for a whole truck load.) Then I will till it again......My reason for doing it now it that it will then have all winter to break down and really my get soil ready for next Spring! Now is also a good time to consider where you want to plant your veggies next year..I know it good to rotate them to different spot each year.
Fourth: Transfer thorn less Red Raspberries....I am super excited about Justin's aunt giving me a few starts of her raspberries!! Fall is the best time to do this....also a great to transplant other things such as strawberries. Speaking of strawberries, I have already put straw around all my strawberries to help them "keep warm" through the winter....I know mulching of some sort is recommended. I am planning a new layout of my garden. I have decided to make my garden bigger because I want to incorporate a flower (cutting) garden as well! I also want to have a place in garden dedicated to easily transplanting flowers from my current landscape or have a place to put new starts that others give me.
Fifth: Take an inventory of the things I would like to plant again...Figure out what things are not worth planting again.....whether you need to increase or decrease of the amount of seeds you plant. Now is a great time for taking care of this....it is still fresh in your mind! If I wait until next Spring.....forget it....I will have no clue!
Sixth: I get a couple different seed magazines so I will spend some time later this winter marking it up with things I might like to try....even if you choose not to order the seed from a seed company they offer some great ideas to think about! If you do not currently get any seed magazines you can go here and here to request a few!

The only other thing to consider is if you are near a wooded area or an area known for "little helpers" like rabbits, deer, and raccoon, you might want to consider fencing of some sort. I didn't have any of these problems this year but I think our two puppies, who seem to be "night owls" and love chasing things, might have helped out that situation (smile!)

So there are a few things I am planning to do to get my garden ready for winter...Brrrrr!

I thought I might also add that if you want to start a garden in the Spring, whether this will be your first garden or if your getting back into gardening, then you can follow these same steps Of course, your first thing you need to do is decide where to put your garden.....keep these things in mind...be close to a water source, pick a place that makes sense for your family...Example: If you have little kids you might want to consider putting your garden within close proximity to the swing set or play area....so while your working in the garden they can play and you can still keep an eye on them. Just a thought!

HAPPY GARDENING TO YOU ALL!!!

Blessings,
DANIELLE