Your Fall Checklist

Winterizing the Garden

A Fall  What-to-Do  List

Oh, oh, when is it going to frost ???

1. Map the garden – what you grew where.  Also record dimensions of gardens. Otherwise, you won’t remember, come spring, for crop rotations.

2. Sow a cover crop – When: 1) spring before crops, 2) fall after crops, 3) “spot”cover crop in empty areas, 4) cover crop right amidst crops

3. Drain water —hoses , containers & pots, watering cans, water barrels, faucet

4. Stabilize gas—engines & gasoline cans with a fuel stabilizer product so gas does not become sludgy over winter.

5. Harvest-preserving: Drying, seed-saving, flower drying, fermenting, pickling, blanching-&-freezing, root cellaring, cold room storing

6. Panic Harvest  (have a plan & frost blankets ready)—Beans, beets, celery, herbs, outdoor tomatoes, zucchini.  Peas can still be eaten for a few days after frost, but don’t try preserving them. 

7. Not-so-Panic Harvest—Root crops, lettuces, spinach, cole or cabbage family crops (brassicas & crucifers), some squash, Swiss chard—these are more frost-tolerant.  Apples are good down to 20F

8. Harvest Records—make a chart for yourself & make notes for next year. (Sample below)

9. Make compost—Also save & store dry leaves in covered container to layer alternately with food waste you deposit in compost all winter. 

10. Collect soil samples—in clean container with clean tool for lab analysis 

11. Mulch everything—so important for soil health & conservation 

12. Make notes to self—what will you do differently next time?

                                                            sample harvest record chart