Fall Gardening with Melinda Myers

This Week’s Podcast: A Rebroadcast: Fall Gardening with Melinda Myers

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On this week’s show, I challenge gardener’s gardener Melinda Myers to come up with six tips for autumn — no problem. She sailed right through them.
One: Keep weeding to stop some invasive plants from exploding with new growth next spring, and others from reseeding.
Two: Continue watering, giving a deep soaking for newly planted deciduous trees, and other plants in the garden if rain is sparse – right up until the ground freezes solid.
Three: Mulch – instead of raking and bagging leaves, just run them over on the lawn, or bag them to use as mulch or add to the compost.
Four: Add color – surprise yourself. Put some squashes, pumpkins or gourds on the ground where annuals have faded. Make hanging baskets with dried plant clippings for late-season eye-appeal. Plant some of the new super-cold-hardy pansies in bloom now, and to flower again next spring.
Five: Keep the good guys in the garden and get rid of the rest. Keep a lookout for insect pests. Remove and destroy diseased foliage, and do not put it on the compost pile. Leave healthy perennials standing for winter interest, as well as cover and food for the birds.
Six: Don’t let your guard down. The big animals are hungry, now and looking for some tasty bits that might be in your garden. Guard against critters in any of the number of ways we talk about on the show.
Melinda Myers is best known for her gardener-friendly practical approach. She has had more than 30 years of horticulture experience in both hands-on and instructional settings. She has a master’s degree in horticulture and is a certified arborist. Each year, Melinda appears at many of the major flower shows and garden events, sharing her knowledge with people across the country.
Visit Melinda’s website to find out where she is speaking next.