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Maryland Master Gardeners Maryland Master Gardeners
Vision:Vision: a healthier world a healthier world through environmental stewardship.through environmental stewardship.
Mission:Mission: to educate to educateMaryland residents about practices Maryland residents about practices
that build healthy gardens, landscapes, and that build healthy gardens, landscapes, and communitiescommunities..
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• Putting the Garden to Bed and Putting the Garden to Bed and other Fall choresother Fall chores
• Preparing for Spring NOWPreparing for Spring NOW• Extending the seasonExtending the season• Fall vegetables and fruitsFall vegetables and fruits• Using and Storing the harvestUsing and Storing the harvest
Fall Gardening
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Fall Chores and
Preparing for Spring now
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Fall Chores For a Healthy Fall Chores For a Healthy GardenGarden
• Deal with weedsDeal with weeds– Annual weeds Annual weeds – Perennial weedsPerennial weeds
[[GOOGLE:GOOGLE: Rutgers weeds] Rutgers weeds]
http://njaes.rutgers.edu/weeds/thumbnail.asp
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Fall Chores For a Healthy Fall Chores For a Healthy GardenGarden
• CLEAN DEBRIS from garden. CLEAN DEBRIS from garden. – Leave vegetable roots in placeLeave vegetable roots in place– Dig in or remove summer mulchDig in or remove summer mulch
• Add new mulch only after ground Add new mulch only after ground freezes.freezes.
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Fall Chores For a Healthy Fall Chores For a Healthy GardenGarden
• INCREASE ORGANIC MATTER!INCREASE ORGANIC MATTER!–Dig in compost or other organic Dig in compost or other organic
mattermatter – leave until spring – leave until spring
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Increasing organic matterfor Long-term soil improvement
• Large amounts of organic matter may be needed for several years.
• Thereafter, 1 in. of compost will help maintain high yields.
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(What is organic matter?)
• Leaves, grass• Vegetable scraps- peels, etc. (no butter!!!)• Manure (from vegetarian animals only)• Other plant parts (disease and pest free,
please) including cover crops
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Reminder
• No fats, meats, or dairy in the garden ever!– (Egg shells are OK without the egg)
• No salt
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Using leaves• Dig into garden in Fall OR• Collect and chop leaves
– leave them in plastic bags with some water until they become leaf mold OR
–Save for making compost
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Using vegetable scraps
• You can bury nitrogen-rich materials, like grass clippings, coffee grounds, and peels, in furrows or holes
• OR add to your compost pile
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Using manure
• Purchase composted manure to stay friends with the neighbors OR
• Add to compost pile– Never use FRESH manure in the garden– Never use cat, dog manure
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Adding manure
Manure must be
composted or it will burn
the plants
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A few words about compostA few words about compost
• Compost is plant matter that has decomposed
• Supplies trace elements• Makes soil crumbly• Use to improve soil, continue using
even on excellent soil
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Making compost –5 Ingredients
• Green materials – the source of nitrogen • Brown materials – the source of carbon • Air (oxygen)- so the aerobic bacteria work,
and the anaerobic bacteria don’t• Water (but not too much)- bacteria require
moisture to work• The bacteria – add a shovel full of compost to
help get it started.
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Everything contains both Carbon and Nitrogen in different amounts
C:N carbon above 40
Leaves 55:1Corn cobs 98:1Wood chips 600:1Phone book 770:1
C:N carbon below 40
Vegetable waste 13:1
Grass 17:1
Coffee grounds 20:1
Horse manure 30:1
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The Slow, Easy Way: Sheet composting $
Some people who use the “lasagna” method do not turn over the soil. They plant through the layers. (Do early in Fall)
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Adding Organic Materials Using cover Adding Organic Materials Using cover cropscrops
• Cover crops are planted in the fall and then dug into the garden in late Spring
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Cover crops
• Are living mulch• Improve and protect soils• Increase soil organic matter. • Mine the soil for nutrients. • Protect soil from erosion.
• Add nitrogen to the soil*
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Cover crops
Some crops, (clovers and other legumes like peas), increase the amount of
nitrogen in the soil.
A one-time purchase of “nitrogen fixing bacteria”
improves this action.
Buckwheat attracts bees. They then help pollinate the
garden.
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More about Cover crops
A tiller $ makes turning under the cover crop easy. Hand turning is far less expensive.
Rye and Winter wheat are difficult to hand turn, but their massive root systems improve heavy clay soils.
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Extending the Season
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Extending the season
• Protection– Tunnels– Cold Frames– Cloches
• Mulch
• Using the right plants
• Providing
• Sufficient nutrients
• Sufficient water
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Extending the season – Protection
• “Bell jars” – bottles • Water tubes • Tunnels• Cold Frames
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Extending the season with cold Frames
Plans: GOOGLE: garden gate cold frame
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Extending the season with Cold Frames
• Use to: – Grow seedlings started under lights in the spring– Plant cool weather crop or root vegetables in fall. – Protect tender perennials in winter.
• Insulate with blankets during cold snap nights• Lift lid to prevent excessive heat on sunny
days• Keep plants lightly hydrated
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Mulch
Potassium in soil
Grow cold-loving plants
Spinach
Snow Peas
LettucesProvide Protection
Keep
Hydrated !
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Vegetables and Fruits
in Fall
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Perennial vegetables
• Perennials are plants that return each Spring if cared for properly
• Examples: Asparagus, rhubarb• It is important to protect them from damaging
frost – cover with mulch
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Caring for Perennials• Asparagus -Cut to 2 inch stubs after frost, Add 4 to 6
inches mulch• Rhubarb - Top dress with composted manure • Strawberries - Mulch with straw or organic materials
4” deep after soil freezes• Raspberries/blackberries - In winter, remove
floracanes which have borne fruit• Blueberries - Protect with pine bark mulch, rotted
sawdust, or compost around the base of the bush
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Planting Fall Crops: Garlic!
• Purchase bulbs to plant in October from a seed/plant company; not from grocery store!
• Choose full sun location• Weed area and amend soil with compost• Separate cloves and plant them pointed end
up, 2 inches deep and 5 inches apart
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• Top dress with compost or mulch to deter weeds• In Spring add fresh layer of compost or mulch• Remove any flower stalks to insure large bulbs• Harvest when foliage yellows and falls over. Usually in July
here.• Store in dry cool location
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Using and Storing the
Harvest
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How to Store the Harvest
• In-ground growing• Unheated attic- onions• Unheated basement – Winter squash and
pumpkin (stems on)• Root cellar• Pits with containers• Specialized treatments (tomatoes)
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How to Store the Harvest
• Drying • Freezing• Canning• Preserving• Pickling
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Reminders for “Putting the Garden to Bed”
• Remove all rotten fruit from the ground around trees; insect infestations last through winter.
• Leave vegetable roots in place but remove diseased tomato, potato, and squash foliage to prevent disease. Do not toss these plants in the compost. Bag and discard.
• Remove dead branches from roses and fruit trees (no pruning yet).
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• Leave dried flowers, ornamental grasses, and seed heads that look good and provide food for birds.
• Protect perennials from frost heaving by mulching after the ground freezes.
• Protect ornamentals such as azaleas and berry bushes from bud-eating deer with deer netting.
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• Build a simple compost bin or add to your present one all Winter long.
• Plant spring bulbs. Including garlic• Plant cover crops after harvest to correct soil
compaction. • Clean and sharpen tools blades• Plan next year’s garden!
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Thanks for coming-
let’s talk!
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Composting
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Making compost- Which method?• Cold composting
– Slow (may not be ready for up to a year)• Hot composting (The heat is created when certain
bacteria work on the right combination of materials)
– Requires a lot of material at one time-• Leaves- collect now• Grass- Early spring grass is full of nitrogen!!!
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The winning formula: 30 parts Carbon: 1 part Nitrogen
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Making compost - Directions
1. Gather both kinds of materials – in small pieces
2. Add alternate layers, with a few larger pieces interspersed to assure better air circulation
3. Allow rain to water the pile (or do it yourself)
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Directions for making compost 2
4. Incorporate air any way you can. A pitchfork is ideal.
5. Cover if a lot of rain is expected6. Check on consistency- is it ready? (Wear
gloves). 7. Screen to remove chunks (return them to
the pile)8. Dry and store, or use immediately
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Tips
• If making cold compost, you can continue to add coffee grounds, peels, egg shells, etc. and balance with chopped leaves, shredded paper, etc.
• GRASS is ideal for heating up the bin!• Store carbon source in fall and winter to use in
summer when nitrogen source becomes available
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About landfill compost
• In Harford County, the Scarboro landfill has compost and mulch available $
• They accept organic materials to put into the compost pile.
• Concerns answered Concerns answered (Joe Rutherford)(Joe Rutherford): herbicide residue, noxious and invasive weeds, pathogens
Resources• Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC)
– 800-342-2507– http://extension.umd.edu/hgic
• Grow-It-Eat-It website– http://extension.umd.edu/growit
• Master Gardener state website– http://extension.umd.edu/mg
This program was brought to you by
Maryland Master Gardener Program
Howard County
University of Maryland Extension
