Things You'll Need:
- Shovel
- Compost or manure
- Soil amendments of your choice
- Cover crop seeds of your choice
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Step 1
Clean up the garden plot. Remove dead or spent plants and their markers. Remove weeds, rocks, branches or other large debris.
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Step 2
Assess how your plants did this summer and use this information to see what nutrients you need to add to the soil. For example, if you had problems with blossom end rot you may want to add lime. If your foliage plants did not do well, add some nitrogen in the form of bone meal. Have your garden soil tested if you are not sure what nutrients are missing.
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Step 3
Dig compost, manure and other amendments into the soil. The winter will allow plenty of time for these things to break down. Large bits of compost will decay and manure will mellow and blend with other elements. (Fresh manure can burn young seedlings, which is another reason to add it in fall instead of spring.)
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Step 4
Plant fall crops to take advantage of the rest of the season. They will also hold the soil in the ground as some of these things will overwinter. Kale, spinach, leeks and Brussels sprouts are all good late season crops that can overwinter in some climates.
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Step 5
Plant a cover crop to enrich the soil further. A nitrogen fixing cover crop like nitrogen or hairy vetch will add nutrients to the soil through nodules in their roots. This will also help the soil from blowing away in the winter.
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Step 6
Mulch the garden bed with fallen leaves if you are not going to plant anything else before spring.
