Fall Gardening
If you haven’t come across the trend of color draping yet, it’s the process of layering different fabric colors around the face to determine which shades best compliment your natural features and beauty. Color palettes are divided by seasons and you could be a blend of a few. Apparently its more in-depth than that but you get the idea.
I like to think Colorado has her own palette, too. While she’s stunning in every season, I’d wager the experts would say she’s an Autumn.
There’s something refreshing about the change of seasons. Just when we start to tire of the summer heat, fall sweeps in—inviting us to reach for our sweaters and soak in the cozy while enjoying all the colors of the seasons. As a homeowner, one activity I’ve grown particularly fond of in fall is gardening. It’s surprisingly underrated this time of year and doesn’t get nearly enough credit.
So consider this my public service announcement-step outside, get your hands in the soil, and savor these last few weeks before the frost!
FALL GARDENING: What are the benefits?
Taking in the harvest
In fall we see some of the best produce that we’ve spent all summer procuring. Fall is a great time to harvest those fruits and veggies and utilize recipes designed for freezing or canning. Some of my favorites are jellys + jams, pickled veggies, salsas, and tomato soup.
Temperatures
Cooler temps are not only perfect for the plants but also enjoyable for the gardener. You might still break a sweat, but you won’t be exhausted after 20 min.
Pricing + Deals
Many garden centers and hardware stores need to clean out their plant inventory. Although its the perfect time to plant, you might find price slashing and can snag a deal.
Seeing the gaps
At this point in the year, observations of the past season are still visible. In the fall you can still see stems so you’ll know any blank dirt spaces or gaps are probably safe places to fill in with new bulbs and flowers. In the spring I can never remember where my bulbs are hiding under the ground so I often accidentally plant over the same flowers.
Save your seeds
After you’ve filled in the gaps with new bulbs and plants it’s a great practice to clean out the old and “dead head” the dry flower cones to save the seeds for spring. You’re already clearing out the old so might as well reap the benefits of the seeds your garden already produced.
Avoid the volatility of spring
In Colorado we still have snow and hail in spring. We check the forecast we wait until May and inevitably there are still those years we spend a long weekend planting and investing in the perfect, already blooming garden just for an afternoon hailstorm to shred the whole thing in an hour. In fall as long as you plant before the frost, temperatures are still high enough to allow those roots to hunker down for the winter for beautiful blooms in spring.
PRO TIP: Read your stores return policy. Many of the big box stores offer full replacement or refund of any plant within a year if it dies. YES, you have to save your receipt and do a walk of shame to bring in the old dead plant, but if it’s a $60-$200 tree or shrub its definitley worth it.