As summer winds down and kids head back to school, our gorgeous gardens are bursting at the seams, but how do we keep them thriving throughout the fall? Here are doable, practical tips I shared on Live! Kelly & Mark so you can continue harvesting and enjoying blooms well into the cooler months ahead.

DON’T LET WEEDS SEED: Weeds are the worst in August where a hot temperature and humid conditions allow weeds to prosper while veggies and flowers wither.

Stay on top of weeding, so that weeds don’t get the chance to seed themselves. This helps with not only weed control now but next summer too. Bottomline, it’s better to weed NOW before they set seed.

Make sure you weed from the root, and you’ll be in much better shape with each passing year.

IT’S TIME FOR MULCH: After weeding, mulch the beds: Apply a layer of organic mulch, straw or wood chips, around your plants. Mulching helps retain moisture, suppress weeds, and regulate soil temperature during the cooler months.

GET YOUR “FLOWER STYLING” ON! I call this “flower styling” others call it “deadheading.” Plants with old, dried-up flowers look unsightly but also are stunted from growing new flowers on that stem.

Use your hands to pick off any old blooms. This helps new buds and bloom to grow and can help more wild plants from seeding and over-controlling your garden.

HARVEST, HARVEST, HARVEST: For above-ground plants: when you harvest above-ground plants this triggers a plant to produce more vegetable flowers to start new vegetables.

For root vegetables: thinning by harvesting triggers a vegetable plant to allow the ones beside them to grow bigger!

PLANT FOR FALL

Right now in late August, begin sowing fall seeds: cover with soil and keep well watered to encourage sprouting. Research and decide on the vegetables, herbs, or flowers you want to grow during the fall. Consider cool-season crops like lettuce, spinach, kale, radishes, and chard. Make a planting schedule and check seed packets for recommended planting dates for your region.

Other veggies to grow for fall:

Beets, radishes, broccoli, cabbages, brussel sprouts, fennel, garlic, green beans, mushrooms

PRUNE YOUR SHRUBS & PERENNIALS: We talked about deadheading earlier, but do not soft prune shrubs, perennials and trees as they won’t make it through the cold months. Instead encourage new grown by doing a full pruning and trimming. Once blooms are done, prune plants back, which will encourage healthier growth and shape the plants before they go dormant and prep them for a winter sleep.

PREP CONTAINERS & CHECK GEAR: Prepare containers by cleaning them up. Replace old or worn-out containers if necessary. Ensure the containers have proper drainage holes and fresh potting mix. Before you shut off the water for the winter, it’s best to deal with leaking hoses now with either a temporary hose repair or a new hose so you’re all set for spring! (Also, it’s easy to get lazy about ignoring a water leak, but it affects water pressure and wastes water.)