In Zone 9 Fall can be one of the most productive seasons in the garden. The temperatures are not as extream as the summer and in many parts of the country there is a fair amount of rain. To ensure a good season it is important to be prepared for the fall growing season. Here are some tips to get your fall garden started.
- Clean the Garden
- Loosen Compacted Soil
- Amend the Soil
- Mulch
- Proper crop selection
Clean the Garden
With the extream heat that many parts of Zone 9 experience durring the summer many gardens will need a good clean up to get ready for the fall garden. This clean up will include
- Removing spent crops
- Removing weeds
- Removing fallen fruit
Durring the dog days of summer many gardeners will neglect their garden. Some do it because they do not want to work in the heat, some do it because they are not a fan of the limited crops that can be grown in Zone 9 Summers. What ever the reason, a good clean up will give your garden a great start for the fall.
Loosen Compaced Soil
This is a good practice when prepping a garden for any season and pretty much every crop. Loosening compacted soil will encourge faster root growth, allow water to get to roots easier, allow for better drainage and make nutrients easier for plants to acccess.
A garden fork or a twist tiller work great for this. Simply dig down into the soil and move it around to loosen it up!
Amend the Soil
Adding nutrients to soil will help ensure a successful fall garden.
- Compost
- Manure
- Worm Castings
- Fertliziers (we prefer organic fertilizers to help keep the microbes and other life in the soil happy)
- Any well broken down organic matter.
Mulch
Mulch can be vital thte the success of a garden in zone 9. The mulch helps keep the soil temperatures down on hot sunny days, helps retain moisture and helps prevent weeds. Mulching the entire garden durring the fall is always a good practice to help ensure a bountiful fall garden harvest.
Proper Crop Selection
There are MANY crops that will thrive in the fall in Zone 9, but selecting the best time to sow the seeds or transplant the plants is important. Here is a guide to help:
