How to Plant For A Fall Harvest (And Prepare For Winter)

Many of you have no doubt reaped what you've sown and enjoyed the results of delicious and healthy produce from your vegetable garden throughout the summer.
But fall's arrival doesn't mean your gardening venture's over. If you plant now for the future and prepare for the coming season, it's possible to enjoy a few last tasty garden morsels and ensure that next spring's harvest will be outstanding.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Plants and seeds that can be grown in cooler weather, such as carrots, radishes or daffodils
• a low nitrogen fertilizer, like Milorganite
• Floating row covers, cloches and/or cold frames
• Heavy paper or newspaper
• Evergreen boughs, straw or marsh hay
• Wood chip mulch
• Water

1. 

   Count The Days From Planting To The Average First Fall Frost To Determine How Many Growing Days Are Left In Your Area, Then Add A Few Short-Season Veggies To Your Garden.
   You'll want to select vegetables that will grow quickly, mature and can be harvested in that time, such as Leaf Lettuce, Mustard Greens, Spinach, Carrots and Radishes.
   Use a low nitrogen fertilizer, mixing into the soil before planting or sprinkling a narrow band along the row of plants.
   This fertilizer's safe to use on all the plants (edible and otherwise) and will provide needed nutrients without damaging the seedlings.

2. 

   Protect Vegetables Like Tomatoes And Peppers From The First Fall Frosts By Covering Them Up.
   Use cold frames, cloches and floating row covers.
   Or you can harvest green tomatoes before the frost and finish ripening them indoors.
   Wrap them in newspaper so the tomatoes don't touch or spread them out on heavy paper. Then store them in a 65-degree location.
   They'll ripen over the next few weeks. If you want to speed it up, move the tomatoes to a bright, warm location for a few days.
   If you prefer, you can always just use green tomatoes as it (they can be fried or made into relish and other treats) or perhaps fully ripen some.

3. 

   Planting Grape Hyacinths, Daffodils And Other Hardy Bulbs In The Fall Can Provide Many Springtimes Of Beauty.
   Prepare the soil and add the low nitrogen fertilizer to it. Besides slow releasing nutrients from the soil, the fertilizer won't promote any fall growth. And that's what you want in this case.

4. 

   As temperatures cool and even after trees lose their leaves, tree roots are in their most active growth period, so you'll have to Fertilize Trees In Need Of A Nutrient Boost About One Month After The First Killing Frost But Before The Soil Freezes.
   Use the low nitrogen fertilizer for this-it provides balanced growth without any root damage.

5. 

   Use The Low Nitrogen Fertilizer To Also Prepare Your Lawn For Winter With Fall Fertilization (This alsp helps your lawn recover from summer's heat).
   Fall fertilization is very beneficial for home lawns; there's less disease and insect problems, deeper and denser roots and slower weed growth.
   Southern gardeners should make their last fall fertilization at least 30 days before the average first killing frost to avoid winter kill or before the lawn goes dormant.
   Northern gardeners can fertilize Labor Day and Halloween.

6. 

   A Covering (or Blanket) Of Straw, Marsh Hay Or Evergreen Boughs Applied After The Ground Freezes Will Prevent Frost Heaving And Early Sprouting, increasing winter survival chances for bulbs and perennials.
   Mulch can reduce winter dryness and the death of evergreens, such as broadleaf. Water these and other plantings thoroughly before the ground freezes to increase winter survival.
   Add A Layer Of Wood Chip Mulch On The Soil, Surrounding Trees And Shrubs, keeping the mulch off shrub stems and tree trunks.
   This will conserve moisture, reduce weeds and regulate soil temperatures.