5 Fall Gardening Must-Dos

Fall is an exciting time in the garden. The weather is cooling off and it’s a great time to get back into your outdoor space.  This is a great opportunity to enjoy your garden, as well as prepare it for winter to ensure a beautiful spring! 

1. Fall is for planting!  Many experts say that Fall is the best time to plant trees. It is a great time for root growth in new trees, shrubs and perennials due to warmer soil temperatures.  Plus, the shorter days and cooler air temps enable plants to spend less energy on growing flowers and leaves, and more on building a strong root system. Remember in ABQ, it is important to amend your planting hole with organic matter, like our Premium Compost.  Compost can greatly enhance the structure of both clay and sandy soils.  It improves drainage in clay soils and increases water holding capacity in sandy soils.  So don’t forget to add compost when doing your fall planting!
2. Plant cool season vegetables. Did your summer garden languish due to our extended high temperatures this season?  Why not use those beds to plant cool season vegetables?  Arugula, beets, spinach, kale and broccoli are excellent performers in Fall.  Most can even overwinter and begin putting on growth in the spring for an early harvest!  Many herbs are perennial in our zone 7 garden: sage, rosemary, parsley and thyme are all great choices for planting in the Fall.  It’s also the ideal time to plant garlic! Garlic planted by Halloween will give you a nice harvest by the 4th of July!  Remember to replenish your soil with compost or our all-natural Soil Food when planting cool season crops.
3. Clean out and prep garden beds for spring.  Not into cool season vegetables?  Do you want your beds to look tidy over the winter? Then consider cleaning out your beds after our first frost.  Removing all the plant debris helps prevent pests and diseases from overwintering in your garden and returning in the spring.  Next, add a 2-3-inch-thick layer of compost over your beds to enrich the soil.  No need to work it in; winter precipitation and soil organisms will do the job for you!  
4. Mulch your plants.  Add a fresh layer of organic mulch around trees and shrubs to protect their roots from winter temperatures.  Mulch also helps to retain much needed moisture.  Mulching is one of THE MOST important things you can do for your garden!  Soilutions has a nice assortment of organic mulches to choose from. Our most popular choice is our Forest Floor Mulch which contains a touch of compost to help feed the soil.  Unlike bark chips which tend to attract bugs, Forest Floor Mulch is made from coniferous trees whose oils help to repel insects.  The conifers are harvested right here in New Mexico through sustainable forestry management efforts. 
5. Plant spring bulbs! Tulips, daffodils and many other spring blooming bulbs are best planted by the end of October.  Planting bulbs is a lot of effort now, but it pays off in beautiful blooms in the spring.  In Albuquerque, it’s best to plant “early blooming” varieties as they give you flowers when not much else is blooming.  Amending each bulb planting hole with a high phosphorus fertilizer helps bulbs produce at their fullest potential.  Try using our Bloomin' Boost soil amendment when planting flowering bulbs!

To help with your Fall Garden needs, we are offering a discount to our email customers.  Use code “FALL23” to get a 5% discount on your bulk compost, soil or mulch purchase!  Order online at soilutions.net