Fall is the time to marvel at nature’s fall foliage display, enjoy the taste of a slice of fresh apple pie, and hunt for the perfect pumpkin to carve into a jack-o’-lantern.

Just as our house and cars need to be prepared for the upcoming winter season, this is also the time to get our garden and landscape plants ready for winter.

Fall garden chores include raking leaves, fertilize the lawn, clean and till the vegetable garden and plant spring-flowering bulbs.

Gardeners with large trees in their yard need to rake and dispose of the fallen leaves. A thick layer of leaves left on the lawn will damage and possibly destroy the turf grass plants. If working with a small quantity of leaves, they can be shredded by a lawnmower and left on the lawn.  For larger amounts, composting is suggested as an excellent way to dispose of leaves.

Even though the turf grass foliage stops growing in the late fall, the roots continue to absorb and utilize nutrients. An application of fertilizer in late October or early November helps promote root growth and early green up the following spring.   When fertilizing, you should apply 1 pound of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet

Before you clean and till your vegetable garden, finish harvesting root crops, such as beets, carrots, and parsnips.  Fall clean up and tillage provides several benefits.  Be sure to remove and destroy any diseased plants or debris in your garden.  Guthrie County Extension Officer Carolyn Wilson explains many plant pathogens survive over the winter by attaching themselves to infected plant debris, which will in turn infect new growth the following year.  Removal and destruction of the diseased plant debris reduces the severity of many diseases and also eliminates hiding places for some insects and helps reduce insect populations.  Additionally, a fall-tilled garden dries out and warms up more quickly in spring, permitting earlier planting of cool-season crops.

Now is the ideal time to plant spring-flowering bulbs, such as tulips, daffodils, and crocuses. When making your selection avoid small, soft, or damaged bulbs Wilson warns.  Plant the spring-flowering bulbs in well-drained soils in partial to full sun. The proper planting depth of tulips and daffodils is 6 to 8 inches, measuring from the top of the bulb to the soil surface.  Smaller bulbs, such as crocuses, should be planted 3 to 4 inches deep. Plant spring-flowering bulbs in groups or clusters to achieve maximum visual impact. If soil conditions permit, spring-flowering bulbs can be planted as late as December.

After finishing those chores, it’s still not time to rest. There are garden hoses to store, tools to clean, root crops to harvest.