Get that thumb of yours out and polished because while everything else is turning brown, we’re going to turn it green this fall. Not an avid gardener already? Perfect. We’re here to share some tips and tricks that even we were surprised to discover. Late autumn vegetable planting? It’s a thing. Seeding this late into the year? Absolutely. Watering already dead grass? Oh yea. Check out this easy to follow, but completely necessary list of yard and garden tips that are must tries for this time of year. 

Vegetable Garden: Yes, you can wait this late into the year to start that vegetable garden you had planned for in the spring before the whole world turned upside down. Lettuce leaf, spinach and radishes hit their prime planting time from mid-August to the end of September. These plants are sensitive to the intense Iowa summers and flourishes better once the heat lessons. This time frame is also great for planting pine, spruce and evergreen trees. Be sure to water these daily for the first week! 

H20: Most people think watering in the fall is pointless. Things are barely growing, the cool nights are the first signs of the inescapable frost, the leaves are starting to turn and fall. But this is the exact reason why you should be watering. Fall watering helps your lawn and plants recover from the scorching heat that late August often brings in Iowa. It also gets it ready for the opposite extreme it’s about to face with winter. So, before you roll up your hose and store it for the year; water, water, water, until you can’t water anymore. 

Seeding and Fertilizing. It’s pretty straight forward; the thicker the lawn, the less weeds can grow. Over seeding your yard in the fall helps fill in bare patches but it also bulks up healthy areas by giving it a shot of new, drought resistant grasses. Be sure to do this before a rain so the seeds have a chance to adhere to the soil. Think of fertilizer as a slow acting energy drink. The intake of those sugars protects grass roots from freezing and allows it to bounce back stronger in the spring. A combination of seeding and fertilizing will have neighbors in yard envy once winter breaks next year. 

General cleanup. It’s hard to watch such vibrant plants slowly fade away but tis the nature of nature. Once your flowers have ran its beautiful course, pull up your annuals and cut back your perennials. Keep up on leaf removal as trees shed in grass, however, keep them in your planters and garden bed; they can act as winter mulch. 

With so many do this, not this, try that, but not this, we’ve just touched base on basic autumn yard prep. Not only will it be aesthetically pleasing this fall as well as next spring, but it helps you feel prepared for the upcoming winter. And the more prepared we feel we are for another Iowa winter, the better.