7 1
WAYS TO
PREP
HARVEST & CLEANUP GARDEN
Work through the garden and chop down any plants that have been damaged by frost. Cleaning up these scraps in the fall will reduce chances of passing on diseases and infestations of undesirable insects, such as pill bugs, that can slow the success of your garden the following spring. Any material that is free of diseases and other blights can be chopped and used for compost.
2
SAVE YOUR SEEDS!
I like to encourage all of the gardeners we work with to dabble in seed saving, and the best way to learn the techniques is to experiment! There are some great resources out there to learn more about seed saving - visit Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance at rockymountainseeds. org or read Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth. There is also a Seed Library at the Prescott Public Library with several books on gardening and seed saving. While you are there, you can ‘check out’ some free seeds for your garden!
Plan a garden processing party or get the family involved! The more helping hands, the faster the job will get done and more fun will be had! Canning, freezing, dehydrating, and creating oil or vinegar infusions are some of the ways I preserve my harvests at the end of the season. It’s a great way to continue to enjoy the garden harvests throughout the winter.
4
FERTILIZE & MULCH
After cleaning up your garden scraps, pull back your mulch and add a 1-2 inch layer of composted manure and work in a slow release organic fertilizer to amend the soil. We use and recommend Dr. Earth - their All-Purpose blend is an excellent choice for the garden. Reapply mulch and let the bed rest for the winter.
Photos courtesy of Janet Wilson
3
PUT UP YOUR HARVEST
