by CE Wynn

Created on: September 14, 2010   Last Updated: September 16, 2010

The chores of the gardener do not reflect the slowing down of garden life once fall arrives . Rather, fall and winter are the busier times of the year for keen gardeners that want to get ahead start on the coming seasons. Tasks range from clearing beds which can be turned into mulch and compost, to dividing bulbs and perennials.  Following is a check list of what can be done over the cooler months of fall.

  * Clean Up – Compost and Mulch

With trees losing there leaves, fall is the season to do a general clean up of the garden. Once the leaves have stopped falling, rake them up and start making compost. If there is a good number of leaves, why not keep a separate pile, and make some leaf mould. Leaf mould is a rich, earthy material and is great for potted plants, where water retention is important. Shred the leaves, by running the leaves over with a lawn mower, place in a pile or a compost bin, and watch as they break down. The process will take about twelve months, but the rewards are great for the little effort required compared to other compost methods.

There is lots more then just fallen leaves to add to the compost at this time of year. Harvesting the summer crop and clearing summer veggie beds will provide loads of organic material to add. As well as any light pruning and removal of dead branches, keeping in mind heavy pruning should not occur until late winter.

Cover compost, if a lot of rain is expected. Compost that is too wet will be low in nutrients, and will become compacted, removing air and oxygen from the pile. Not only will lack of oxygen prolong the composting process, but the multiplication of anaerobic bacteria will occur resulting in a rotten egg smell, which is just not pleasant..

  * Preparing Beds – Green Manure

Fall is also the time to prepare garden beds, not only for the current cooler season veggie crops, but also for the spring and summer seasons. Planning should be done now to determine what beds will be used for the fall and winter crops and those that will be set aside for the early spring and summer crops. This planning is required due to an overlap of the winter crops, which will in many cases require additional time over spring to fully develop before harvesting.

For those beds where big nitrogen feeders are going to be planted, such as tomatoes, pumpkins and corn, a green manure crop can be planted. Green manure, is a planting of a legumes, which will bring nutrients particular nitrogen up from

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