Environmentally Concerned Fall Garden Clean Up:

Fall tells us it is time to prepare our garden for the winter. Fearing of disease and insect problems appearing the next spring, many gardeners wonder if they should just cut down and clear out the summer growth.

It really depends on what kind of garden you are growing whether or not you will need to do a lot of cleaning or just a little at the end of the blooming season. What also comes into play is how concerned you and your neighbors are about the neatness of your property. Your style of growing, whether it be annuals, tropical plants, vegetables, wildflowers, evergreens, woods or a plain lawn will set the amount of time and work necessary.

As more people learn the principles, (IPM) is gaining in popularity as an alternative approach to gardening. You can actually do less in your yard and let nature work for you. Doing a big fall clean up may not be as necessary when you consider the integrated pest management way of gardening.

It is best, if you can to leave some perennials standing. Besides it's fun to watch finches picking out the seeds on echinacea or more commonly called coneflowers. Sunflowers, liatris or butterfly flower and other flowers that go to seed will provide food for wildlife. Watching birds can give you hours of enjoyment in the winter garden. Leaving flowers and stalks through the winter will also provide homes for wintering insects that provide food for birds. An environmentally friendly garden will always have lots of bugs in it. Instead of cleaning up all seed heads, leave them giving some winter protection for birds and insects in your garden. Milkweed pods provide seeds for food and flycatchers, vireos, wrens, some warblers, sparrows, orioles and finches will use the floss on the milkweed for nesting. Think of this as not a punishment for laziness but a reward for allowing nature to take care of itself. In spring, migrating birds will come looking for those insects attracted by the left pods and visit the garden that provides food. Plus if you are a bird watcher, this gives you even more pleasure.

When you feel you must cut down perennial stalks, chop them into about six-inch lengths and pile them in the garden as mulch with fall leaves. You would be amazed at how many wintering wildlife seek cover under the stick piles. give cover for wildlife, including wintering butterflies like the Mourning cloak. This kind of mulch can be worked into your garden in the spring that will eventually make your soil much richer producing healthier plants, adding important organic material.

It is important to cut down and discard (as in remove) diseased plant material. This is a hygienic step and make sure not to toss it in your compost pile. To assure the best conditions for next year's crop, vegetable gardens will need to be cleared of old growth. Prune back plants and shrubs with seed heads that start too many unwanted new plants. Tropical plants require a lot of care in this non-tropical area. Plants that grow naturally here are a much better investment all the way around. Look for plants native to your back yard and they'll flourish in the your natural soil, temperature range and the amount of water available. Native plants will look beautiful with less time spent fussing with them. This will leave you with more time to do the other fall gardening chores like cleaning, sharpening and oiling your garden tools.