It’s getting cold outside, what do I do now in my garden?
As the weather in the Triangle cools down you may find yourself looking outside at lots of leaves, brown grass, and dead looking plants. But I assure you there is still lots to be done in your corner of paradise before winter sets in. Consider tackling one (or all) of the following suggestions to put your garden to bed.
Leave those leaves!
Ok, this is less something to do than something not to do. And it may go against your natural inclination to tidy up for the winter months. But the current wisdom is to LET THOSE LEAVES STAY ON THE GROUND! I know it’s hard not to rake them up or blow them away. But this notion is backed up by the USDA folks who suggest that “leaves create a natural mulch that helps to suppress weeds while fertilizing the soil as it breaks down. The leaves also serve as a habitat for wildlife including lizards, birds, turtles, frogs, and insects that overwinter in the fallen leaves. These living creatures help keep pests down and increase pollination in your garden, so having a habitat for them in the fallen leaves can help to keep them around when you need them the most.” (https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2022/10/17/fall-leave-leaves#:~:text=Leaves%20create%20a%20natural%20mulch,overwinter%20in%20the%20fallen%20leaves.)
If you can’t manage to leave them on the ground as is, you can grind them up with a pass of the lawnmower. They will decompose quicker. You can also use them as free mulch around your garden beds. It takes about six months for whole leaves to break down so they’ll leave a nice layer of nutritious compost and keep the pesky weeds down.
Leave those dead plants!
Yes, this is another thing not to do, but don’t you love permission to be lazy? According to Morning Chores website, dead plant matter left in your yard provides homes for bees, butterflies, ladybugs, as well as other predatory insects that feed on damage-causing pests. Beneficial amphibians and reptiles will appreciate the habitat, and local birds will enjoy the insects and small vertebrates that have found a home in your plant debris. And just like the leaves, the decomposing matter nourishes the soil. This means you’ll need less purchased (artificial) fertilizer and you’ll keep less debris out of our landfills. Plus, there is beauty in those seed heads, especially if we are lucky enough to have them coated in snow. (https://morningchores.com/leave-plant-debris-in-the-garden/)
Pull the chrysanthemums out of those pots and put them in the ground
Mums grow great in the ground in our area. So after you’ve enjoyed decorating with your potted mums, you can put them in the ground (they like early morning sun, but they are pretty hardy wherever you plant them). This is also a great time to put out some bulbs as well as plant trees and shrubs. They love establishing their roots during our cool rainy winter season. (keep in mind that they will need water if the weather is dry).
I also love to throw my rotting pumpkins outside to see if they will sprout and grow pumpkins for the following year. (Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don’t.)
Sow some poppies
Who doesn’t love poppies. So this suggestion gets its own discussion. Poppies are SO EASY to grow if you follow a few simple guidelines. What? You can buy poppy seeds online or ask some of your garden friends to share. But once you get them to grow, you will have a tremendous amount of seeds for future use. When? The seeds should be broadcast between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Where? Choose a full sun area to sow the seeds where you can broadcast them on top of the ground and leave them undisturbed. You should have beautiful flowers by late spring. After the seed heads dry out in late summer/early autumn—don’t forget to harvest the seeds by tapping the little pods into a storage container for next year.
To learn more about poppies, check out our local gardening guru, Brie Arthur’s poppy recommendations. (https://www.briegrows.com/bries-blog/2020/4/29/it-is-finally-poppy-season)
Don’t hate, propogate!
This is the time of year to root clippings for next year’s planting season. How? Here goes:
Take a 4-6-inch cutting from your plant. Remove both the bottom leaves and snip off the growing tip.
Dip the base in rooting hormone.
Put some potting mix in a container (with drainage holes), make a small hole with a pencil, and stick your cutting in the soil.
You can find a HUGE list of plants that propogate well in our area at the following NC State Extension website. (https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/plant-propagation-by-stem-cuttings-instructions-for-the-home-gardener)
You can also propogate just by putting the stems in water until they root—be on the lookout for the next blog installment on Propogation.
If you’ve made it this far, thanks so much for reading. Hope you are able to choose one of these ideas and run with it. If you have further questions, let us know. Even better, take advantage of the collective knowledge of the Steel Magnolias Garden Club in Zebulon club members. We meet monthly on the second Tuesday. Current meetings are held at the Zebulon United Methodist fellowship hall from 6-9pm. (Also, it is always good to have friends with extra plants—and poppy seeds.)
Article by: Tina Murphey