From the garden
We have a few weeks to get gardens ready for winter. Our usual first freeze date of October 31 gives an interval of a few weeks to tend to fall cleanup tasks before cold sets in.
• Take out unhealthy plants. These are most likely annuals whose lifespan has expired or certainly will be killed with the first frost. Remove plants that have attracted insect pests. Cabbage worms and aphids that have attacked Brassicas, especially kale and collards. Curcurbits may be showing signs of the fungal diseases powdery or downy mildew. Take out foliage of affected plants, removing all debris.
• Prune out dead, damaged, and diseased tissue of woody plants. Affected tissue can still be seen, whereas after leaf drop in a few weeks, this tissue is difficult to identify. Always make cuts to the origin of the branch.
• Identify weak limbs susceptible to breaking if snow or ice accumulates on branches. Remove weak branches by cutting back to the point of attachment, where the branch originates from the main trunk.
• Attend to leaves. There are two schools of thought with autumn leaves – some say let leaves accumulate where they have fallen, while others advocate removing them. The downside to letting leaves stay in place is that they form an almost impenetrable layer, under which mold and insects can survive and flourish. Raking up leaves into piles that can then be mulched provide a rich source of free organic matter. Mulched leaves crumble and can be tilled into garden beds or placed lightly around cold-sensitive plants for protection.
• Be mindful of areas that may harbor beneficials. Landscape beds that are home to butterfly and pollinator friendly plants are best left undisturbed. Pupae overwinter close to host plants; tilling disturbs them. Leaf litter in such areas is best lightly raked without turning up the garden soil.
• Dig freeze-sensitive plants that may not survive a hard freeze like tender dahlias and cannas. Cut back dahlia stems to about 6 inches before digging the tubers. Dahlias can be dug after a light frost without damage to the tubers. Shake off excess soil. Cure by letting them air dry, then store in sand or vermiculite at 40-50 °F. Cut back canna foliage to about 8 inches, then dig the rhizomes. Keep dry. Shake off excess soil. Place in peat-filled bags at 40-50 °F.
Ellen Peffley Harp, a retired professor of horticulture at Texas Tech University, writes about gardening for several Texas newspapers.
