A Handy Guide For Veggie Gardening In Autumn

Autumn is a great time to get in the garden. The air is crisp but with the days still long and warm, it is the perfect time to get busy in the garden without the heat of summer.

Autumn is the perfect time to give your garden some TLC after the summer harvest, plant some new vegetables for the next season, harvest seeds from last season’s crops and also prepare your garden beds for winter.

1. Things to do in the vegetable garden in autumn

Replace lost nutrients in the soil from the heavy summer season by adding new compost. This will provide a healthy foundation for autumn and winter crops.

Continue harvesting celery and leeks. This is the ideal time to harvest pumpkins, just be sure they are dry before storing. Any potatoes in the garden should be ready for lifting.

2. Expand your vegetable garden

Autumn is a great time to expand the vegetable garden!

If you have had an abundant growing season in summer you might prefer to see autumn as the time to rest and get the garden cleaned up for winter (which is very much required!). But there are a lot of advantages to an autumn vegetable garden.

The weather is mild, not too hot or too cold, many insects that are pests are starting to hibernate for winter and the soil tends to become moist but well-draining.

You can consider building new raised beds that are perfect for winter crops. It is also a great time to get a good deal on garden soil and compost.

Autumn is a great time to plant broccoli, cauliflower, beetroot, spinach and Chinese cabbage. Early autumn is also a great time to plant lettuce which you should get a great harvest. Autumn is also the perfect time to sow seeds for your winter crops like carrots, swedes, turnips and radish.

Autumn is also an ideal time to plant garlic for next year’s crop. Select a garden bed that did not grow alliums this year to plant your garlic.

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List of veggies to plant in autumn:

• Spinach

• Leeks

• Beetroot

• Garlic

• Silverbeet

• Onions

• Carrots

• Broccoli / Cabbage / Kale

• Lettuce

Slugs, snails, aphids and whitefly tend to be active during the autumn months so make sure you protect your crops appropriately.

3. Things to do in the fruit garden in autumn

Autumn is a busy time in the fruit garden as some fruit trees start to bear fruit. Fertilise citrus trees in early autumn and prepare new planting sites with compost and plant into the garden mix.

Autumn is an abundant time for feijoas, late-season plums and the beginning of the harvest time for citrus fruits.

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4. Prepare your vegetable garden for winter

Here are some tips to prepare your garden for winter so you can make the most out of the colder months and be ready for when spring rolls around again.

Clean up the vegetable garden beds

Taking the time to clean up the vegetable garden beds in autumn makes it easy to begin growing in the spring season.

By the end of the summer season, the garden beds can be in such a mess that can be overwhelming. Break up cleaning tasks over time and work through one section of your garden at a time until they are all cleaned up and ready for winter.

Remove all dead vegetation and add a layer of finished compost, mulch and add some organic fertiliser.

5. Garden clean-up tasks

Ensure you keep weeding your garden and removing diseased or dead plants consistently.

Prepare your garden for winter by clearing out all the weeds that have accumulated in the garden. Check if they are hiding under other plants. By getting rid of them now you will prevent them from going to seed.

Now is also the time to get rid of spent plants after the summer season. Get rid of everything that is possible. Only leave plants like tomatoes and peppers that are yet to ripen. But many other plants like beans, cucumbers and lettuce which are done for the season, can be gotten rid of. This will prevent these spent plants from harbouring disease and pests.

Clean up any fallen fruits from summer fruit trees. Get them out of the way now as rotting fruits attract pests.

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6. Get a soil test

Autumn is a great time to have a soil test done to determine if your soil will benefit from the addition of nutrients and an adjustment to pH levels.

Soil test results will tell you:

• pH

• Levels of:

    ◦ Potassium

    ◦ Phosphorus

    ◦ Calcium

    ◦ Magnesium

    ◦ Sulfur

    ◦ Lead

    ◦ Organic matter

This will recommend how much lime and fertiliser to add to improve your soil. Lime is commonly used to adjust the pH level and adding it in autumn is beneficial because it has all winter to dissolve into the soil.

Other nutrients can be added in the spring at planting time.

7. Gather autumn leaves

Autumn leaves are gardeners gold! Gather as many leaves as you can and fill up compost bins and rubbish bags. Fallen leaves can be used for mulching and as a brown component of compost and leaf mould.

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There is more than enough to keep you productive in your garden over the autumn months. It is the perfect time to give your garden and thorough clean up and plant new season crops for winter. If you need professional gardener’s help with preparing your garden for Autumn, post a task today on ezy peazy.

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