Fall garden cleanup list

In some ways, it's sad to close up a garden for the winter so I have mixed feelings about it.  I will miss having fresh flowers in the house, which I've had since the first blooms of hyacinths back in April.  I'll also miss the fresh herbs and of course the vegetables and fruits so available in the summer.

But the fall brings a time for cooking!  And fires in the fireplace.  And football. And apple cider with apple cider doughnuts. And more time to read.

This year, with the bees, has been especially busy.  But now is the time I can use up the beeswax and make candles and I have plans to make some calendula body lotion as well, using up the flowers I've been drying and saving for that use. More on that in another post

Here's a list of  fall tasks:

1. Mow all leaves and bag them and spread them in the vegetable garden to enhance the soil next year.
2. After the killer frost, cut down annuals or pull them out. (I trim perenniels in the spring rather than the fall so that birds can feed on any seeds and to give more depth to the winter landscape)
3. Spread mulch on delicate plants
4. Remove vines from trellises
5. Dig up some herbs and plant in pots (now is the time to do this), and move them to a cool porch to begin getting them adjusted for the house.  Next step, after a few weeks, will be to bring them in to an inside windowsill.  This year I hope to get some battery operated, stick-on plant lights to give houseplants more light.
6. Pull pump out of pond when pond plants die off (this can be done as late as November in the Northeast). The pump goes into the basement in a bucket of water to keep the gaskets pliable.
7. Ensure wood is delivered, cut, split and dry and enough kindling is gathered...and plenty of white birch bark, excellent for starting fires....I actually try to get this done early in the summer so it's ready for fall use but if you didn't do it early, do it  now!
8. Protect delicate roses or other plants that are most sensitive to the cold - add stakes around them and then wrap burlap around the stakes. Then fill with leaves to insulate the plant
9. Go to the nursery and buy plants on sale - - great time for bargains as long as you get them planted soon, the fall is a great time to plant...and nurseries are trying to get rid of their stock so there are bargains out there.  In the spring, for example, you can buy a boxwood that is about 6-8" high for about $7.00.  This weekend, I bought two that were double that size for $4.00 each.  
10. Move a few plants to the greenhouse or coldframe, if you have one, to extend your season.  I have 3 tomato plants there and my pepper plants. I also started more lettuce and cilantro in there to try for another crop.  The problem is light.  If you don't do it early enough, with no supplemental light, then it may not come up.