Garden Talk: Fall Gardening

Air Date:
Heard On The Larry Meiller Show

There is a chill in the air and that means it’s time for fall garden maintenance. Larry Meiller finds out what to get done before the snow flies.

Featured in this Show

  • Fall Gardening Work Includes Clean Up, Planting

    Seasons change quickly in Wisconsin. Suddenly, fall has arrived in the Badger state, meaning it’s time to move into a new phase of gardening.

    Melinda Myers, a Milwaukee-based garden expert, said that a fall cleanup is important for a garden’s health. That means putting any plant material that wasn’t affected by disease or insects during warmer months into the compost pile so that there will be more to nourish the garden when spring rolls around.

    Myers said that another important part of a fall clean-up includes getting plant materials that did have problems out of the garden.

    “Anything that was disease-ridden, or insect-infested especially, needs to be cleaned up in your garden,” Myers said. “Definitely get that material out.”

    That might mean bagging it up and putting it out with the trash, or depending on the municipality, putting the organic matter out for collection. The material then gets buried in a landfill, preventing diseases from spreading the next year.

    Myers said that not everything needs to be cleared out: Perennial flowers and woody ornamentals that are healthy can be left as-is through the winter.

    “Leave it stand,” she said. “The birds love the seeds, and it’s great winter interest.”

    While it might seem counterintuitive, Myers said that fall isn’t just a time for cleanup: It’s also a good time to plant. She said that especially if any plants failed to make a comeback after the last winter, now is a good time to replace them.

    “It’s a great time to plant,” said Myers. “The soil is warm (and) the air is cool, which is less stressful for your plants.”

    Many garden centers have fresh plants available and ready for planting. Myers added that it’s possible to find some good deals as nurseries try to clear out their inventory before snow begins to fall.

    When planting small shrubs that will take up more space in the future, Myers recommended using asters and mums to fill in the blank spaces for this fall. She said that the color will be welcome in the garden, and the landscape then won’t look quite so bare during the transition.

Episode Credits

  • Larry Meiller Host
  • Judith Siers-Poisson Producer
  • Melinda Myers Guest

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