It happened! Frost has knocked back the dahlia, tomatoes, beans, and squash, but not my gladioli, acidanthera, or croscosmia. Frost has killed some foliage but not all of it. I will leave those bulbs that remain intact for a few days. Even the dahlia can stay in the ground for a bit while I get myself sorted. As long as the tubers don’t freeze hard in the ground, you can still dig them up for winter storage. Last week, I mentioned storing your tubers in shredded newspaper, but you could also use peat moss, fluffed up coir fiber, or reused styrofoam packing peanuts. Your goal is to let them stay dry but not dessicated.
You have a few weeks still to plant spring-flowering bulbs. Just get them in the ground before the soil freezes solid. I will be attempting tulips again after losing many to voles in the past. To keep critters out, I will be making a box eight inches by four inches by three inches. That box should hold seven tulips loosely and will go in the soil first. I will spread some soil to bury the bottom of the box and then space the seven tulips around inside the box. Then, I will bend the top of the box over the bulbs and wire it shut. I haven’t done this yet. Wish me luck! The box should provide enough space around the bulbs where voles cannot reach them through the mesh. Directions to make your own can be found online.
Garlic cloves can also be planted now for next summer’s harvest. Remember, one clove will form one bulb of multiple cloves! Do not mulch the area until a hard freeze.
Bean foliage was mostly crispy from frost, and I harvested the remaining beans. I then cut the plant away at ground level, leaving the roots in the soil. These and peas fix nitrogen, which is slowly released into the soil as the roots break down.
Following my vegetable garden rotation, I’ll plant buckwheat or winter rye in the spot recently cleared of garlic. This green manure will rejuvenate the soil and prepare it for the peas and beans next spring.
I love a good autumn display of squash and pumpkin. But caution! If you plan to eat your squash, you need to protect it from frost or it will turn mushy. Displays left outside, however, would be gratefully accepted by local farmers for livestock!
I bagged up green tomatoes that were still on the vine to help them ripen.
Just like you do with other perennials, cut back yellowing asparagus foliage to within three inches of the ground. For my goldenrod—an important plant for native overwintering insects—I will cut it back halfway to the ground or just above a gall if I see one on the stem. This way I reduce the seed bank and potential weed problem but I preserve the plant as a host for overwintering insects. For other ornamentals like daisies or salvia, I will cut back any frost-damaged foliage but leave fresh growth that should be appearing at the soil surface.
Clear up fallen leaves around roses, lilacs, crabapple trees, and other plants prone to fungal disease. These leaves will harbor the fungus until next year. By clearing the area, you reduce the chances of reintroducing the fungal pathogens. It is OK to compost these if your compost pile reaches a consistent temperature between 130 degrees and 160 degrees over a period of three days. If your pile does not stay hot enough, do not add diseased leaf litter to your compost but arrange to send it to a larger-scale or commercial compost site.
You can pot up amaryllis bulbs now that you have left to dry in the dark for six weeks or more. Trim dead leaves but leave any viable (not withered) roots. Put them in fresh soil about the depth they were last year. Water well so soil is completely moist but not soaking. Bring them to a sunny location, but do not water again until new growth begins.
As part of cleaning up the raised beds and perennial borders, create weed-free paths between vegetable beds or sharpen the edges around perennial plantings while soil is moist and weeds are less vigorous. I will be scalping the soil surface between my raised beds. Then I plan to lay down a cardboard barrier and deep mulch to reduce the weeds and resulting cover for pests. I discovered that voles were using the cover of crabgrass to gnaw away at the end of a wooden raised bed. They then found their way between the mesh barrier and the beets! Nature finds a way—unless we stop it.
I call myself the Lazy Berkshire Gardener because I don’t want to work too hard in my gardens. I want to enjoy them. I find it easier to observe my landscape and let the compost happen, the water pool up, or daisies to self-sow. I look for ways to do the minimum task for the biggest impact. For example, mulching is better than spraying and much better than weeding all season. I look for beautiful, low-maintenance plants that thrive in or at least tolerate my garden conditions. Plus, I am willing to live with the consequences if I miss something.
