What work should be done in the garden in autumn?

With the arrival of the first autumn frosts, every gardener tries to organize activities in their garden that will ensure a harvest next season. Autumn gardening involves more than just harvesting and storing fruit. After the season ends, it's important to prepare the garden, dig in the beds, and sow the winter crops.

Gardening work

Preparing the garden for winter may seem unnecessary to inexperienced gardeners. However, following all the necessary agricultural practices will determine the next year's harvest.

Preparing trees and shrubs

Caring for trees and shrubs in autumn includes: crown shaping, fertilizing, and protecting against larvae and pathogenic spores that overwinter under the bark. These measures should be carried out based on temperature conditions and following these recommendations:

• In early September, it's too early to begin crown shaping; however, damaged and dried branches should be trimmed. Cover the cut areas with clay mixed with equal parts cow manure.
• Leave fallen leaves in October and November, leaving them at the root zone to act as insulation and organic fertilizer. Burn them only in case of severe infestation by pathogens or insect pests;
• After the first autumn night frosts and bright daytime sunlight, bark cracking occurs. Therefore, to prevent infections from penetrating through the cracks, apply a preventative whitewash with quicklime and copper sulfate. To eliminate overwintering colonies of fruit mites and spider mites in the garden in the fall, add colloidal sulfur to the lime solution.
• fruit and berry and ornamental shrubs and the soil beneath them in September-October process With the following preparations: Bicol, Baktoculicide, or Actofit. Preventive spraying will destroy leaf-eating pests, strawberry-raspberry weevils, and sawflies;
• Before the beginning of November, plant seedlings in the garden: apple trees, pears, cherries, currants, raspberries, strawberries, and ornamental shrubs.

Fertilizing and watering

To prepare plants for winter, it's necessary to perform a heavy artificial watering of the soil in the fall, which differs from the summer watering in that it uses a larger volume of water. In the moistened soil under trees and shrubs, an intensive transfer of internal energy occurs from warmer to cooler areas of the soil. Thanks to the increased heat transfer from the lower soil layers, the root system warms up well even during severe frosts.

To perform artificial watering, dig a trench 40 cm wide and 45 cm deep in the tree's root zone. After thoroughly soaking, the soil at the bottom will help determine the moisture level:

• After squeezing a handful of soil, place it on a thin napkin. If a damp mark remains on the paper, the soil is sufficiently moistened;
• After compressing the soil lump, press it onto a piece of thin paper. If there's no wet imprint left, the soil hasn't been watered enough;
• When squeezing a handful of soil, it crumbles - pour in a large volume of soil until it is completely moistened.

Autumn plant fertilization is an important agricultural practice. Trees and shrubs growing in the same location for many years draw phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen, and micronutrients from the soil. A deficiency of essential nutrients will impact crop yield and weaken the plant's immunity. After fruiting has finished, apply a complex fertilizer 14-16 days from mid-September to the end of October.

It's important to remember that excessive nitrogen application will cause increased sap flow and active shoot growth. This process can lead to plant diseases, weakened immunity, and even death. Therefore, nitrogen-free fertilizers should be used, such as: Monopotassium Phosphate, Ecoplant, and Dobryi Zayator No. 2.

Soil treatment

When fertilizing and watering, remember to cultivate the soil beneath your crops. Failure to do so comprehensively can result in a poor harvest next season. Before cultivating the soil, rake up all fallen leaves near the roots, as they harbor insect pest larvae and obligate parasite spores.

After the leaves fall, remove and burn them. Dig the soil, adding copper sulfate or Bordeaux mixture, to a depth of at least fifteen centimeters using a shovel or pointed pitchfork.

Trimming

Before the onset of sustained frost, trees and shrubs should be completely thinned or partially shortened, with branches and shoots. These procedures are crucial in the fall. This agronomic practice promotes vegetative growth of pruned shoots in the following season, facilitating the development of fruit buds and wood. Furthermore, heavy snowfall in winter can damage long branches, causing them to break. Reducing the width and height of the crown will rejuvenate them and maintain adequate yield. The following should be pruned:

• dried-up, unhealthy branches with non-fruit-bearing buds;
• intertwined young shoots;
• branches growing inward, greatly thickening the crown;
• dried apical parts;
• root shoots;
• fatty vertical shoots developing from dormant buds.

Preparing the garden for winter

Inexperienced gardeners often assume that once the harvest is complete, their gardening is done. However, only experienced gardeners know that there's still a lot of work to be done from September to October. And the next season's harvest will depend on the gardening efforts carried out in the fall.

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Harvesting and preparation for storage

When harvesting in the fall, it's important to pick the fruits at the right time. Harvesting too early will result in a smaller yield, while harvesting too late will result in some fruits becoming rotted and dying. Depending on the crop, harvesting can be done in one or more stages. Garlic, onions, and root vegetables should be harvested in one stage. Sweet and hot peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers, and melons should be harvested in several stages. To ensure a good harvest of vegetables and herbs, it's important to know when and how to harvest them properly.

1. Potatoes should be harvested when there is no precipitation. When harvesting potatoes from small plots, you can immediately sort the produce into individual containers. Leave the seeds in the sun until the skin turns green. Begin digging from early September to mid-October. If harvesting is delayed, the tubers in the soil will be infected with pathogenic spores and begin to sprout.
2. Pumpkins can be left in the garden without problems until a light frost. In September, as soon as the skins of the ripe fruits harden, the vegetables are picked and stored in cellars or storage areas at temperatures no higher than 15 degrees Celsius.
3. In October, cut the heads of white cabbage, kohlrabi, and red cabbage. These vegetables can easily withstand nighttime temperatures down to -4°C (33°F). However, if the stem freezes at -8°C (-8°F), the cabbage will not recover. Frozen cabbage will become soft after thawing and cannot be stored.
4. Tomatoes ripened by early September in open ground should be selected when the fruits reach a pinkish-brown color; in heated film shelters, the harvest should be extended until early November.
5. When the air temperature is at least -2 degrees Celsius, dig up the carrots. Use a tool to dig up the roots, select, sort, dry in the sun for several hours, and trim off the tops.
6. Feeding and dining harvest beets Before the onset of sustained frost. To ensure good storage, try not to damage the fruits when digging them up. Mechanical damage will affect the shelf life of the vegetable. If the roots are scratched or cut, they will not last more than two months.
7. Late-ripening varieties and hybrids of onions should be harvested before mid-October, when the tops have completely lodged. For best shelf life, dry the onions in the sun for three days. Then, place them in containers or braid them and store in a dry, ventilated area at temperatures between 8 and 14 degrees Celsius.
8. In the fall, pick cucumbers planted in the second row as the fruit ripens. Even overgrown and gnarled fruits should be harvested.

Seed harvesting and collection

Experienced gardeners know that a good harvest can only be achieved by planting proven seeds. Therefore, ensuring you have your own seeds is crucial. It's important to know that the most productive seeds are those that ripen on the very first fruit or flower. A plant that has shown its best qualities during the growing season should be immediately marked by tying a brightly colored piece of cloth to it. Flower seed pods, which can scatter their seeds in strong winds, should be tied with pieces of gauze.

An experienced gardener will harvest seed only on a sunny day. The seed pods must be completely dry and ripe when harvested. Remove the seeds from the ripe fruit, thresh them or rinse them in a fine sieve under running water, and spread them out in a thin layer to dry. Place the dried seed in paper bags, label them with the variety and year of harvest, and store at temperatures between -5 and +28 degrees Celsius.

Cleaning of areas

Growing vegetables and herbs in the same spot every year leads to soil depletion, the accumulation of pathogens, and the overgrowth of weeds. If weeds have become established, loosen the area with a wide hoe and remove all the young roots of birch, sow thistle, milkweed, and couch grass. To ensure a harvest next season, remove all plant debris and apply mineral fertilizers to the soil. Before plowing, apply granular complex fertilizers to deacidify the soil and improve its structure.

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Planting green manure and applying fertilizers

The seeds of "green manure," which is grown to normalize the soil, are sown in a dug-up area cleared of dried vegetation and weeds. Work them into the soil. green manure Planting should be done before frost sets in, beginning in early September. The first month of autumn is characterized by warm weather, so the plants will emerge uniformly within 7-10 days after sowing. After two to three weeks, the vegetative mass can be mowed or incorporated into the soil. The remaining plants will serve as snow "holders." Gardeners plant the following as green manure:

• oilseed radish;
• mustard;
• oats;
• rye;
• buckwheat;
• amaranth.

Autumn plantings

The advantage of fall planting is that the stratification process will make the seedlings stronger and more resilient than those planted in the spring. Furthermore, gardeners will have more free time in March and April, and the harvest of winter-sown vegetables can be harvested 10-12 days earlier. From early September to mid-October, plant:

• winter garlic;
• onions;
• zucchini;
• carrots;
• sorrel;
• parsley root and stem;
• dill;
• salad.

Insulation of plants

After sowing, compact the soil above the furrows to ensure better seed adhesion. If temperatures drop steadily to -8°C (-8°F), insulate the seedbeds. Use tree leaves, wood shavings, sunflower seed husks, and corn stalks as covering material. In January and February, spread snow over the seeded areas.

Preventive measures against diseases

Preventative measures will reduce the likelihood of seed damage from overwintering pest larvae and obligate parasite spores. After clearing the areas of plant debris, disinfect the soil with a 40% formalin solution or copper sulfate.

Additional work

In addition to the main agricultural practices, it is worth remembering to carry out secondary, no less important measures:

• clean garden tools from dirt, treat with chlorhexidine, lubricate with motor or industrial oil;
• drain the remaining liquid from garden containers that have held water all season and store them in a waterproof place;
• Prepare a soil mixture for growing seedlings. The best soil structure is considered to be that taken from mounds dug by moles and arthropods;
• Starting from the beginning of November, cut cuttings of grapes, currants, gooseberries, and ornamental shrubs for spring rooting.

Reviews

Experienced gardeners who actively prepare their plots for winter each year share their impressions of the autumn work they've carried out.

Mikhail, Tula

Winter in our region is characterized by sharp cold snaps and autumn frosts down to -12 degrees Celsius. Therefore, insulating the beds and young seedlings is essential. As early as early September, I pin down the grapevines and mulch the root zones of peaches, cherries, and raspberries. I wrap the most frost-sensitive plants with agrofibre. Timely insulation in the fall ensures that crops survive the winter well in our risky farming zone.

Maria, Yekaterinburg

We had a patch of garden on our dacha plot where any vegetables grew poorly. In the fall, after digging up the potatoes, my husband and I decided to sow mustard in the infertile area. We sowed on September 10th, and in mid-October, the overgrown tops were mown down, leaving the roots in the soil. In the spring, we dug over the plot and planted potatoes. We were very pleased with the root crop yield; we harvested four times more potatoes than before sowing mustard in the fall.

Gardeners' main task in the fall isn't just cleaning up their plots and harvesting the remaining fruit. Following all the necessary agricultural practices will ensure a bountiful harvest next season.