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Fall Soil Building Strategies for the Garden – Epi-3358

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I know it seems crazy to even say the word fall right now, but now is the time to start planning for the fall and winter phase of your garden.  Keep in mind the fall equinox is Sept. 23rd this year.  That is only 33 days away and things do begin to really shift after the solstice.

For folks like me in the south we get a huge second flush from out annual crops that suffered though and survived our summer.  In our summer we can keep things alive in late July – early September but we get very little if any production when days are on avg in the range of 105 and above.  Once the temps drop to high 80s and we get even a bit of rain our gardens explode until first frost which is often as late as Thanksgiving.

Conversely some of you guys in far north climates might see a freeze before the equinox or soon after.   This means we all need different micro strategies, so today I will focus more on the macro strategy and determining how you want to handle this transition.

Join Me Today to Discuss…

  • You have three primary good options heading into Fall/Winter
    • Extend productive seasons and grow for production late into the winter
      • Advantages
        • Keeps the soil life active as long as possible
        • Provides a yield late into the season
      • Disadvantages
        • Requires effort/maintenance
        • May require equipment like low tunnels
        • If your crops eventually are killed you may have weed issues in spring
    • Plant a cover crop that has no direct or little direct production
      • Advantages
        • Keeps the soil life active as long as possible
        • Minimal maintain
        • A bit of production can come from it
        • Eventual winter kill creates a weed suppressing mulch
        • Can add nitrogen via winter legumes (winter pea, etc)
        • Creates organic matter (chop and drop or compost material)
        • May provide live stock feed
      • Disadvantages
        • Minimal to no production
        • May require sod busting in spring depending on crops
    • Tarp/cover the beds and let them fully rest
      • Advantages
        • Once and done until spring
        • Allows for heavy amendments an great soil in spring
        • Tarps can warm the ground in the early spring sun
      • Disadvantages
        • No roots so soil life will largely go dormant
        • No production during late fall – early winter
        • No organic matter yield
  • Key steps to consider and adapt to your strategy
    • Great time to add biochar
    • Add compost, then add more compost
    • If cover cropping lay down seed on compost and scatter mulch (not deep)
    • Add fertility (Doctor Earth 4-4-4 is my go to)
    • Great time for mineral supplements like rock dust, kelp, green sand, etc.
    • If cover cropping decide on what you want, survive winter, late winter kill, etc.
    • If productive cropping pick plants that need no or little protection for your climate
  • There is only one wrong answer and that is doing nothing
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Comments

Fall Soil Building Strategies for the Garden – Epi-3358 — 4 Comments

  1. Hey when you cover crop do you just broadcast the seed or is there a light breaking of the soil referring to no till. Thank you Jack

  2. Jack,

    where do you get and what kind of plastic do you recommend to tarp. My main garden exploded in grass from horse manure this year and i could not keep up. I want to fertilize most of it this year and have a small winter garden with the rest tarped for spring.

    • I use weed blocker as it is 4 feet and I have 4 foot wide beds. Makes it easy. Otherwise I would use common tarps like you get in a hardware store. Heavy black plastic vapor barrier also works.

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