OCTOBER 2025: WISDOM FROM THE WILD CHILD GARDEN: LATE FALL & WINTER GARDENING

LATE FALL & WINTER GARDEN PREP & MAINTENANCE: Consider leaving garden debris in late fall to provide critical food, shelter, and nesting materials that wildlife need to survive the winter and contribute to a healthier ecosystem in the spring. Instead of traditional "fall cleanup," leave spent plants and leaves in place or collect them in designated piles to benefit a wide range of animals, and view the fallen leaves and dead plants as a vital part of a biodiverse environment rather than considering them to be “messy”.

Food Sources:

• Berries: plants with berries like holly or hawthorn provide a crucial food source for berry-eating birds like robins and bluebirds.

• Overwintering Insects: bugs and eggs hide in leaf litter and hollow plant stems and are a vital source of protein for birds, chipmunks, and other small animals when other food is scarce.

• Seeds: bluebirds, finches, juncos, sparrows, and wrens, feed on the seed heads of dried perennials like black-eyed Susan, chicory, and coneflower throughout the cold winter months.

Nesting Materials & Shelter:

• Leaf litter: the layer of fallen leaves on the ground insulates the soil and provides a place for many creatures to hibernate or take cover from predators. This debris acts as a protective blanket for animals such as the luna moth caterpillar which spins cocoons in leaves, bumblebee queen which burrows under leaves to survive the winter, and frogs, salamanders, toads, and turtles that burrow into the soil and tuck themselves into the leaves. Beneficial insects such as fireflies, ladybugs, and predatory beetles overwinter under leaf piles.

• Dead Plant Stalks & Stems: the hollow or pithy stems of old plants serve as a nursery or overwintering site for many native bees and other insects.

• Brush Piles: a simple pile of fallen branches, twigs, and other garden debris provides a refuge from cold temperatures and predators for rabbits, squirrels, and smaller animals. This mimics natural wood structures and provides shelter for small mammals, amphibians, and reptiles. These are also a foraging site for birds to find insects and other food sources.

• Old Birdhouses: clean out and leave up birdhouses to provide winter shelter for overwintering birds.

Benefits for the Garden: leaving garden debris helps improve soil & plant health.

• Natural Mulch: fallen leaves and dead plants act as a protective mulch that suppresses weeds, retains soil moisture, and protects perennial roots from frost heave during the winter.

• Enriches Soil: as organic matter decomposes, it adds nutrients to the soil. In spring, turn the leaf litter into the soil or leave it to create healthier and more fertile ground.

• Reduced Pests: providing shelter for beneficial insects encourages a natural defense against garden pests. Many predatory beetles, ladybugs, and parasitic wasps use the debris for cover and will help control pests next season.

To give overwintering creatures the best chance, wait until spring has fully arrived to do a final cleanup when temperatures are consistently above 50°F.

Prepare & Clean Garden Equipment: garden tools such as loppers, hoes, shovels, rakes, and pruners should be cleaned and sterilized to ensure that any dirt, plant sap, debris, bacteria, or fungal spores that are left over from fall clean-up are removed.

Soak tools in a solution of 10% bleach and 90% water for 30 minutes to kill off any pathogens that may be present. Pine Sol and liquid Lysol cleaner can also be used to kill off bacterial infections and remove any remaining fungal spores. Once the tools are disinfected, use clean water to thoroughly rinse off residual bleach, and add a coat of oil to prevent rust build-up.

Sharpen any tools that need it including loppers, pruning shears, and mower blades.

Assess tool inventory and note of any equipment needed to be purchased or replaced.

Set up rain barrels and inspect garden hoses for holes.

Prune Trees: cut back deciduous trees that lose their leaves annually while they’re still dormant.

Prune fruit trees on a mild and dry day to remove any weak branches or overcrowded growth. Pruning gives healthy branches room to grow so that the plant's roots can provide more nourishment. Pruning also ensures that a tree or shrub can focus on flowering and producing fruit or nuts, not just growing leaves, and rids the plant of unhealthy branches which can be an entry point for diseases.

Prune trees back to the main stem or to any outward-facing buds. Make sure to use sharp pruners and cut with the blade starting as close to the branch as possible to avoid hacking at the plant.

Prune Perennials: late winter is the time to do a hard pruning of dormant woody perennials and dormant ornamental grasses. Prune these dormant plants and only leave the first bud at the plant’s base on plants that produce blooms on new stems.

Many perennial shrubs have already formed buds for next season’s blooms, and it is not the time to prune them unless they are only grown for greenery or hedge, and their blooming potential is not a consideration. Plantings that are purely for greenery and privacy can take a trim of the bushes’ tips to shape them. Boxwoods are an example of these green shrubs.

Some of the flowering shrubs to leave intact at this time include forsythia, rhododendron, azalea, viburnum, daphne, weigela, and japonica.

Prune ornamental grasses by cutting them back to within a few inches from the ground.

Prune rose bushes by using sharp hand pruners, loppers, or a pruning saw for large branches and cutting the branch at back to an outward-facing bud. Make the cut at a 45-degree angle about 1/4 inch above the bud and slanting away from the bud. An angled cut allows water to run off, rather than collecting in the cut end of the stem which can encourage the spread of disease. Cut back to a leaf with five leaflets. Wear long sleeves and leather or rubber-coated gloves while pruning.

Divide & Transplant Perennials: dividing or splitting a single perennial into multiple plants helps the plant perform better, and when they are divided, there is more space for roots to grow and absorb nutrients and water, the size of the plant can be managed, and there will be more plants of the same kind added to the garden. Dividing perennials rejuvenates the plant and stimulates new growth. Overcrowded plants compete for nutrients and water and restricted airflow can lead to diseases. Dividing the plants into smaller sections reduces this competition and stimulates new growth as well as more vigorous blooming.

Divide perennials on a cloudy and overcast day to prevent the plants to drying out. Water the soil a day in advance if the area to be worked on is dry. Ideally, divide plants when there are a couple days of showers in the forecast to provide enough moisture for the new transplants.

Perennials that form large root balls over time such as daylilies, hostas, Shasta daisies, and rudbeckia benefit from plant division which infuses more life into them.

How to divide perennials:

·        Dig up the parent plant using a spade or fork.

·        Gently lift the plant out of the ground.

·        Remove any loose dirt around the roots.

·        Separate the plant into smaller divisions by gently pulling or teasing the roots apart, cutting them with a sharp knife or spade, or putting two forks in the center of the clump, back-to-back, and pulling the forks apart.

·        Each division should have 3-5 vigorous shoots and a healthy supply of roots.

·        Keep these divisions shaded and moist until they are replanted.

Amend Garden Soil: soil amendments can be added as needed. The benefits of applying amendments include:

·        To build the soil.

·        To provide nutrients.

·        To increase soil organic matter.

·        To support the soil food web.

·        To increase the moisture holding capacity of soil.

·        To improve the texture and structure of soil.

·        To improve soil aeration.

·        To promote healthy plant growth and reduce plant diseases.

The soil test is a window into the health of garden soil and provides the pH of the soil, organic matter percentage, and fertility level. Use the results to determine the soil quality and combine that information with the needs of the plants to choose the most effective amendment.

·        For soil that needs more nitrogen: add composted animal manure.

·        To improve soil quickly: add cow manure that breaks down fast.

·        For a steady season-long feed: add compost that decomposes slowly.

·        For acidic soil: add lime.

·        For basic soil: add sulfur to adjust pH levels.

Compost: is a popular garden soil amendment that can be made in the yard or purchased at a garden center. It’s typically made from decomposed plant materials like vegetable peelings, garden debris, and leaves, and as a soil amendment, compost improves both clay and sandy soils, increases water holding capacity, and enhances plant growth. If possible, gardeners should make their own compost by buying a compost bin, making a compost bin, or piling up organic materials and giving them time to break down. Composting is not an instant process, and it may take several years for a pile to decompose into finished compost which looks and smells like soil and is a lovely dark brown color.  The speed at which compost decomposes depends on many factors including the materials composted, temperature, the size of the pile, and whether it’s maintained by turning and providing moisture.

Compost can be added to garden soils in spring, between successive crops, and in autumn, and it also makes a good mulch around tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash with worms and other soil organisms working it into the earth. Compost takes several months to decompose and provides a steady soil enhancement to perennial beds and borders.

Animal Manure: livestock manures are available bagged at garden centers and in bulk from farmers:

·        Cow Manure: is the most common animal manure for gardens that provides plenty of organic matter and a balanced supply of nutrients.

·        Sheep Manure: is rich in nitrogen and organic matter.

·        Horse Manure: is considered a weedy manure as horses don’t digest seeds as thoroughly as cows. This less digested manure makes for a richer soil amendment.

·        Chicken Manure: is weed-free but very high in nitrogen and should be well-rotted before it’s dug into a garden. It can also be added to a compost bin to speed up decomposition and enrich the final product.

·        Rabbit Manure: called ‘bunny berries’ because it looks like small roundish pellets, this is a great manure for the garden. It’s weed-free and low in nitrogen so it won’t burn plants, and helps build soil by adding organic matter and nutrients like phosphorous.

If buying bulk manure, ask the farmer about their herbicide and pesticide practices, and try to buy from an organic farm. Avoid fresh or partially composted manure, and if buying a truckload in the fall, buy half rotted manure and pile it up until spring. Using fresh manure on growing crops can burn plants as well as introduce dangerous pathogens into any food that is grown. One advantage of bagged manure is that it’s usually sterilized and contains no weed seeds.

Vermicompost: Worm Castings: are worm poop and is an extra-special excrement. As worms digest food or other materials, they consume, they break down complex nutrients into more bioavailable forms then found within the castings. When worm castings are added to soil, they provide valuable nutrition to plants and enhance the overall soil quality and structure.

Worm castings used for horticulture either come from commercial compost worm farms, or from a personal worm bin that is maintained at home. All earthworms generate castings, but these specialized compost systems generally utilize a certain species of worms known as Eisenia fetida or “red wigglers” that have a faster metabolism and larger appetite than common earthworms. This makes them a prized choice for vermicompost systems.

Depending on the size and type of worm farm, compost worms are kept in containers, bins, large beds or windrows. There, the worms are maintained and fed select food waste and/or green waste. After they work their magic to digest and excrete it all, the castings can be harvested and used or sold.

Worm castings should be applied right on top of the soil by sprinkling a handful right where the roots go into the ground. This allows the nutrients to filter down with the water and feed the plants. Every few months, add a handful of worm castings to the base of the plant. Every time it rains, or when the plant is watered, a tiny bit of worm castings goes down into the soil and delivers organic vitamins and minerals.

Mulch: is used for aesthetic purposes, to retain moisture and nutrients, to slow weeds, and to protect plants from temperature extremes. The best time to apply late winter mulch is after several hard touches of frost. By this time, the plants have developed cold hardiness and the ground has frozen.

Use organic mulch such as straw, shredded leaves, nut hulls, pine needles, or wood chips to create air spaces that provide optimal insulation. Loosen up any old mulch to allow for air flow and water penetration.

Keep mulch away from tree trunks as it can have detrimental effects such as water logging, compactness, attracting rodents, and introducing pathogens.

When using bark mulch, a maximum of 2-inches is sufficient, and for all other types of mulch, a maximum of 2-1/2-inches is recommended for optimal weed control, moisture retention, and root protection. Plants with shallow root systems such as azaleas, rhododendrons, yew, and taxus conifers are especially at risk for water-logged soil, compaction, disease, and rodent infestation.