Take a moment now to remove spent annuals and summer vegetable plants.
“I usually begin by pulling up any annuals and vegetable plants that are finished for the season. It’s not absolutely necessary — you can leave them in — but removing them saves a lot of time come spring and gives you a clean slate for planting,” says Homegrown NH host Emma Erler, lead horticulturist with Kirkwood Gardens at Squam Lakes Natural Science Center.
One of the big things to look out for is plant disease. “Tomatoes are a big culprit—they’re prone to fungal issues like septoria leaf spot or early blight,” says Erler.
These diseases can actually overwinter in the soil if you leave infected plant material behind, so it’s really important to remove any diseased plants to help prevent problems next season.
Don’t put diseased plant material in the compost, dispose of it. Your backyard compost likely does not get hot enough to kill the fungi.
Some annuals do really well indoors over the winter, Erler says. “I like to save plants like coleus, salvia, geraniums, and fuchsia. They adapt nicely as houseplants.. For plants like coleus, though, instead of dealing with the whole plant, I often just take a cutting, root it in water, and pot it up later. It’s an easy way to keep your favorites going year after year.”
“I usually replace the soil that are in my pots every year,” she says, “so I'll empty that out and just add it to the compost pile.”
If the pot is a reasonable size you can soak it in a 10% bleach solution. That is going to kill anything that might be harmful to your plants next year. If it's a very large pot, a simple scrub with soap and water sets you up nicely for the next season.
“I usually wait until we get our first killing frost to pull things out of the garden. I like to keep as much beauty as possible for as long as possible,” Erler says.
See you in the garden!
Homegrown NH is a collaboration between Squam Lakes Natural Science Center and NHPR.
