Berks County Cooperative Extension -

THE VEGETABLE GARDEN

Fall clean up for a healthier garden in spring.

Fall is clean up time in the garden. After warm-season crops have been killed by a frost, inspect them carefully and pull them from the ground. Healthy plants may be chopped or shredded and either added to the compost pile or tilled into the soil. Diseased or infected plants, which may shelter diseases or insects over the winter, should be removed from the garden. Composting diseased or infected plants is not recommended. After removing them from the garden, place the plants in bags and set them out for trash pickup. Stakes and trellises used in the garden should be pulled up, hosed down to remove plant debris and soil and stored in a dry location away from rodents, which have been known to use them as a winter food source.

Soil testing

While soil may be tested any time so long as the ground is not frozen, fall is the ideal time to conduct the test. Generally, in Berks County, pH measurement shows levels that are slightly more acidic than is desirable. If soil test recommendations include adding limestone to reduce soil acidity, it will take some time for the limestone to bring about pH adjustment. If limestone is applied in the fall and thoroughly incorporated into the soil, it will "work" over the winter and a significant change in soil pH will result. A thorough incorporation of limestone achieved by tilling is preferred over broadcasting the limestone on the soil surface. Surface application of limestone brings about a much slower modification of pH level and may not affect the level in the critical root zone of many plants.

Fall tilling.

Tilling the garden in the fall provides the following benefits:

Fall tilling allows for the addition and integration of organic matter, such as compost or manure. Organic matter added in the fall and worked into the soil will be acted upon by microorganisms and beneficial insects and broken down to improve soil fertility in the spring.
Fall tilling enables the home gardener to take advantage of a plentiful source of organic matter - leaves. Leaves are an excellent soil amendment. To hasten breakdown of leaves, simply place them on a pile, moisten lightly to reduce dust and run over them several times with a lawn mower. Exercise care to avoid striking rocks or other debris that might be contained in the leaves. Keep others away when running over the leaves and wear safety glasses. After shredding the leaves, till them into the soil.
Fall tilling aids in insect control by exposing insects to harsh conditions so that many will not survive the winter.
Fall tilling also helps improve the structure of heavy clay soils, such as those found in Berks County, by exposing the soil to the freezing and thawing cycles common to this area.

Planting a cover crop.

If a garden is susceptible to erosion, planting a cover crop, often referred to as "green manure", will help hold the soil over the winter. A cover crop also offers these benefits:

Adding organic matter when it is turned under in the spring.
Improving soil fertility and structure.
Adding nutrients.

Cover crops, such as winter rye or buckwheat, should be planted no later than October 1, so that growth may occur before a hard frost. The cover crop should be incorporated into the soil in the spring as soon as the soil can be worked.

Mulching.

If tilling or planting a cover crop is not feasible, the home gardener may consider placing a layer of leaves, plant wastes or compost over the soil. Two disadvantages of this practice are that the layer of mulch may keep the ground cold in the spring, thus delaying planting, and the layer provides refuge from the elements for insects, some of which might othewise perish during the winter.

Source: The Penn State Master Gardener Manual
Document created: 15 December 1999 , Revised: 18 February 2001