Although fall in Oregon means cooler and rainier weather, it doesn't have to mean the end of the gardening season! Specific plants can grow through the winter and be ready for harvest in the spring. Also, fall is a great time to give your garden a little TLC, and clean things up from the summer growth. Here are some helpful fall gardening tips!
Knowing which types of plants can survive through the Oregon winters is key to having a successful garden year-round. Adding fall-blooming flowers to your garden can extend its beauty well into the cooler months. Hardy blooms like mums, asters, and ornamental kale thrive in the crisp autumn air, providing much-needed color when many other plants are winding down. These flowers not only brighten up your yard but also attract late-season pollinators such as bees and butterflies, helping to support the ecosystem.
But, you don't have to limit yourself to just decorative plants, there are plenty of edible plants you could consider as well. Crops like kale, arugula, winter cabbage, greens, and broccoli can grow well when planted in cool fall and winter temperatures. Planting garlic and shallots in the fall will allow them to grow all winter and be ready for harvest in the spring.
The fall and winter rains will saturate your soil, so be sure you have a good drainage system in place for your garden. We recommend building a raised garden bed! In addition, adding a layer of mulch or compost can help your winter plants stay warm and not freeze over during cold temperatures. Check out our blog post if you are unsure about the best time to mulch your garden or other plants!
For summer crops that have finished producing, fall is the perfect time to clean out your garden beds. Remove spent plants, weeds, and fallen fruit to reduce the risk of pests and disease next season. Most of this organic debris can go straight into your compost pile to break down over winter and enrich your soil for spring.
It's also the ideal time to tidy up your perennial garden, but it's important to cut back selectively. While it's beneficial to remove dead or diseased stems and leaves to prevent pests and disease from overwintering, leave some plants standing for winter interest. Seed heads from plants like coneflowers, black-eyed Susans, and ornamental grasses provide food for birds and add texture to the garden during the colder months. Cutting back too early can expose vulnerable roots to frost, so wait until after the first hard frost for the best results.
Schlegel Barkdust has provided high-quality gardening and landscaping supplies for over 20 years. We are proud to be a family-owned business and love helping our customers create their dream yards. If you are thinking of getting some winter compost or mulch for your yard, give us a call or check out our materials calculator to learn exactly how much you need!
