I don’t know about you, but the idea of fall house cleaning is not high on my bucket list. Now, don’t get me wrong, I clean house … on occasion, but it’s my garden that requires my attention now. The dust bunnies can wait!
The vegetable garden has had its clean-up time, but now the flower beds and shrubs require a little attention. Cleaning debris from under shrubs and those woody perennials is important in order to avoid harboring unwanted diseases and pests. This is also the time to trim and prune most perennials. Herbaceous perennials (those plants which die down annually and have no woody stem above ground) can be cut back and dead annuals pulled and composted, following the first frost.
And now for the mulching, which I actually love to do! There are more than a few reasons to mulch: Minimizing soil erosion, reducing disease spread, reducing evaporation, suppressing weeds, insulating the soil and reducing compaction from rain. The use of organic mulches provides food for earthworms and other soil microbes. You can use your own compost, purchase organic mulch from your local garden center or hardware store, or use straw or autumn leaves (which will require a little extra nitrogen fertilizer to help with the decomposition).
When applying mulch, 2-3 inches is a generally a good depth. Straw and leaves require a thinner application as they tend to hold water and become slimy if too deep. Be careful not to cover a perennial’s crown (the central growing area above the roots) until after the first frost. Trees and shrubs may be mulched leaving the trunks uncovered.
There now — doesn’t that garden look nice and tidy? All those perennials tucked in for a long winters nap! Maybe there is something that spring and fall cleaning thing … it does feel pretty good when you’re done. Now if I only felt the same about those darn dust bunnies.
If you have specific gardening or pest questions you can submit them online to the OSU Hood River Extension, Central Gorge Master Gardener’s virtual plant clinic at extension.oregonstate.edu/mg/hoodriver or by phone at 541-386-3343 ext. 39259. Master Gardeners are a great resource for research-based information. Please remember to provide detailed plant and/or pest problem information, as well as your preferred method of contact.
Jewel McKenzie is a Master Gardener volunteer for OSU, Hood River County Extension.
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