Winterize for a healthier Spring!
When the garden season winds down, the average homeowner is heading for the hammock. But experienced gardeners know that fall is no time to be lazing. It’s the most important season of the year for improving your soil. What should you be adding to your soil this fall? Three things: compost, raw organic matter, and organic nutrients = Organic Topsoil
- As you remove spent crops from the vegetable garden, use a garden fork to loosen the soil, and mix in a 3″ to 4″ layer of Organic Topsoil. While soil temperatures are still warm, the nutrients and organic matter will stimulate microbes and other beneficial organisms. Tired, end-of-season soil will be refreshed and renewed when spring comes around.
- Flower gardens also need compost. As you begin cutting back and cleaning up your perennial beds, keep a good supply of compost or Organic Topoil on hand. Dig in some compost wherever you’ve pulled out annuals and whenever you’re planting bulbs. Pile on a good 2″ to 3″ layer around the base of established perennials and shrubs (keeping it back an inch or so from the stems).
- Planting new shrubs, trees or other landscape plants? Opinions vary, but we recommend mixing a few shovels of organic topsoil with the soil that goes back into the planting hole.
- Ideally, early fall is the best time to apply a top dressing to your lawn since you’ll want to give your grass time to grow through 3-4 more mowings before severe heat or cold, especially if you are overseeding. This can be done all at once, or in stages. We know a few meticulous gardeners who top-dress in small patches as they find them, whereas we personally prefer to knock it out in an autumn marathon.
Improving the soil around your home makes a huge difference in its ability to retain water, support healthy plant growth, and help your plants fend off diseases, pests and other stresses. Whether you’re new, or a seasoned pro, building better soil is the single most important thing you can do to improve your growing success. And fall is the best time to do it!