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Written by Lorna F., Somerset County Rutgers Master Gardener
Fall is the time to invest in next year’s garden. Tasks outlined below will help you to ensure success.
Plant a fall/cool season vegetable garden.
As tender/warm season veg like tomatoes, peppers, and squash wane, plan now to continue the harvest into the fall. Most plants that grow in the spring can be grown in the fall. Cool season crops like broccoli, lettuce, and greens, which cannot handle summer heat, will thrive once temps begin to cool off.
Renovate your lawn.
Late summer/early fall’s moderating daytime temps and cooler evenings are ideal grass growing weather. Rainfall is more reliable and there is less competition from weeds and problems with pests.
Plant trees and/or shrubs.
Planting in the fall gives most trees and shrubs an extra growing season to establish themselves before the stress of summer sets in. Cooler temps, fall rain, and tree dormancy mean that energy production is channeled into root growth.
Plant spring flowering bulbs.
Spring flowering bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, crocus, hyacinth, snowdrops give us that needed burst of color and life after winter….and fall is the time to plant for spring.
Test your soil.
Routine soil testing and soil building are the foundation of a successful lawn and garden. Spring and fall are ideal times to test your soil. Testing in fall gives amendments time to break down over winter before they are needed by plants in the spring. The Rutgers Soil Testing Laboratory offers a basic soil nutrient and pH test for a $20 fee.
Fall Gardening Factsheet links:
Fall/cool season vegetable gardening:
- Rutgers, Planning a Vegetable Garden: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/fs129/
- Rutgers, Link to all Veg & Herb Gardening Factsheets: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/subcategory.php?cat=5&sub=42
Lawn care and renovation:
- Rutgers, Renovating Your Lawn: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/fs108/
- Rutgers, Seeding Your Lawn: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/fs584/
- Rutgers, Fertilizing the Home Lawn: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/FS633/
- Rutgers, Your Lawn and It’s Care: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/fs102/
Planting trees and/or shrubs:
- Univ. of Maryland, Planting a Tree or Shrub: https://extension.umd.edu/resource/planting-tree-or-shrub/
- University of Massachusetts, Fall Planting for Trees and Shrubs: https://www.umass.edu/agriculture-food-environment/home-lawn-garden/fact-sheets/fall-planting-for-trees-shrubs
Planting spring flowering bulbs:
- Rutgers, Spring Flowering Bulbs: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/fs1220/
- Penn State, Plant Bulbs in Fall for a Spring Celebration: https://extension.psu.edu/plant-bulbs-in-the-fall-for-a-spring-celebration
Testing your soil:
- Rutgers Soil Testing Laboratory: https://extension.rutgers.edu/soil-testing-lab/residential