Fall in Your Garden
I hope you are enjoying the fall colors in all their fullness, and the great weather we are having! This year an el nino is predicted, which means we may see weather like this carry on through fall and into winter.
This makes planting and transplanting this season my number one recommended garden project because the weather is ideal for it. Not to hot and not too cold, and best done right up through November. And don't forget that the reason to do your planting and transplanting projects in the fall, is because we generally have 6 months of this cooler/wetter weather before we get blasted with the hot/dry summer weather.
This time of year is also a great time for garden cleanup and garden projects. Once again… because the weather tends to be the best for it.
Here's a bullet list of my recommended garden projects to stay on top of this season.
Planting and Transplanting - one of the most important things to remember when planting and transplanting plants is saturating the roots with water right before you put the plant in it's new home, and making sure the roots aren't root bound, and if so untangling them. This especially applies to trees and shrubs because there is way more root area to cover than with little starts like thyme and blue star creeper. And it doesn't apply to every plant because some that come in a dirt-bound root-ball like Daphne and Dogwood trees are best put right into the ground with the root ball intact and then watered in thoroughly from there.
Leaf Cleanup - now that the leaves are falling, it's a good idea to clean them up periodically. This is especially important for lawns to keep them nice and green. It's not as important for bare dirt and garden beds because they can be used to cover frost sensitive plants for winter, but the lawn definitely can get smothered from leaf buildup if left too long.
Pruning - fall, winter, and spring in general are good times for doing more significant pruning, especially on trees and shrubs.
Weeding - with cooler temperatures and wetter weather comes weeds. Remember that after digging your weeds out at the root, you can use soil amendment to top dress areas you want to control weeds on organically. This will also double to feed the soil at the same time.
Blackberry Removal - this is a great season to cut blackberries down to the ground, and dig out the roots if you don't want them at your place. This type of work is generally best done when the soil is a bit moist and easier to work with cooler temps, since you will be working hard on these type of projects working up a sweat. Cooler weather is great for this!
That's it for this month. Next month I'll be doing a more in depth article on planting and transplanting.
Here is a recent testimonial with portfolio pictures from a lawn removal project in Southern Oregon.
The apple tree pictured below is one of the most healthy and well-planted trees I have ever seen. A fine specimen to show you what a tree should like like when planted properly. The roots are clearly above the surface of the soil - fanning out beautifully - with fruit that is supported by proper respiration, that minimizes disease and pests, and comes from planting high like this!
"Brian of Oregon Ground Works just finished taking out the grass in my fairly large back yard. He did this by hand so as not to harm the dirt underneath the sod. He worked non-stop for 6 days to finish, and the work was exceptional. I am so pleased. All along the project Brian kept me informed of his progress, and the reasons why he did a particular thing in a certain way in order to protect the trees and shrubs in my garden. He made it so our next step is to layer organic fertilizer, then dirt, so the ground will be perfect in the spring for flowers and vegetables. I plan to have Brian do all of my future yard and plant work. He is really extraordinary and I recommend him highly."
Sandy Jackson
Medford, OR
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