Tips on Preparing Your Garden for the Next Growing Season

As the leaves begin to change, you’ll want to prepare your garden for the next growing season. Late fall is the perfect time to improve the quality of your soil, as winter is right around the corner. Check out the following section to learn some tips about preparing your garden.

Assess Your Garden

One of the most important things to do with any garden is to assess its successes and failures. This will allow you to track which plants grow best and areas that may need additional care. While you’re looking over your plants, check for any signs of diseases and damage.

Soil Quality

Whether you’re growing flowers or vegetables, the quality of your soil can drastically impact the success of your garden. It’s important to remember that soil is not dirt. It’s living organic matter that can be added in the form of compost, manure, or fallen leaves. Fall is the best time to prepare your soil since the leaves are turning. Adding organic materials in the fall gives them the proper amount of time to decompose before the next growing season. Soil with a higher amount of organic matter will slowly release a reservoir of nutrients over time, which helps to improve root growth.

Is Tilling Necessary?

For those with smaller gardens, it’s best to remove any weeds, old plants, and debris by hand. Tilling can disrupt the soil structure, cause more erosion, and kill earthworms. But if you have a larger garden, digging up weeds by hand can be a hassle. In this case, you’ll want to add the organic material before you till and consider covering the soil with mulch to prevent erosion. 

No matter the size of your garden, rely on Myers Greenhouse for all your gardening essentials. If you’re not quite sure where to start or what seasonal plants to buy, our experienced staff can give advice on how best to prepare your garden this fall. When it’s time to plant, we carry a wide range of options including annuals, perennials, shrubs, herbs, fruit, and vegetable plants. Contact us or visit our greenhouse to learn more about our selection of plants, soil, and other gardening products. We’re proud to assist gardeners across Winston-Salem, Clemmons, Kernersville, Lexington, Yadkinville, NC and the surrounding communities!