Fall Clean-Up Seasons

A Few End of Season Tips

Larry Hodgson has published thousands of articles and 65 books over the course of his career, in both French and English. His son, Mathieu, has made it his mission to make his father’s writings available to the public. This text was originally published in Le soleil on November 19, 1988.

Now that it has snowed once or twice and the soil is frozen in the early morning, there’s no doubt that the gardening season is over. Or is it? Not necessarily, because it isn’t too late to do some last-minute work.

Bulbs in the Snow

For example, hardy bulbs can still be planted at this time of year. Admittedly, the choice is very limited this late in the season, but at least stores sell them at a discount. Narcissus and hyacinth don’t like such late planting, but there is no problem planting about tulips. I’ve even seen people plant them during a January thaw. They bloomed perfectly well in the spring, though their bloom was delayed by a few days.

bulbs in snow

If planting late, it is doubly important to plant the bulbs deep enough. 25 cm isn’t too much under these circumstances. After planting, the soil should be covered with a thick layer of mulch. This last point is essential, because we want to prevent the newly turned soil from moving during freezes and thaws and thus causing damage to the bulbs.

Vegetables

Did you know that parsnips, carrots, beets, Jerusalem artichokes and leeks can be harvested well into December and even throughout the winter? In fact, all of these vegetables are cold resistant enough and, on top of that, cold improves their taste. Anyone who has never tasted a parsnip that has spent all winter in the ground really doesn’t know this vegetable at its best! However, to do so, they must be well protected now if they are to be harvested later.

straw mulch on carrots
Carrots growing in a straw mulch could grow into December and even all winter. Photo: Nadzeya Pakhomava, Shutterstock

Cover these vegetables with a thick layer of mulch (12 inches or 30 cm of fir branches, straw, or dead leaves) to prevent the soil from freezing deep. Later, when you need to, pack down the mulch, dig up the vegetables and cover the soil immediately to protect the other vegetables from the cold. When the snow falls, it’s best to pack it down in order to have access to the mulch, which doesn’t freeze and remains easy to move. Leeks are less cold resistant and should be covered with 30 cm of soil before mulching.

One important note: all vegetables (except Jerusalem artichokes) are biennial. It’s essential to finish harvesting them as soon as snow melts in spring. Otherwise the vegetables will quickly go to seed and lose their taste. And even though Jerusalem artichokes are perennials, they too become unattractive if not harvested early in the spring. Their tubers, usually so sweet and juicy, disappear. All that remains, at least until the following fall, is its unappetizing foliage!

Trees

The bark of fruit trees is sweet and attracts field mice and other hungry rodents during the winter, even in cities. They gain access to the trunk through the tunnels they dig under the snow, so it’s not until spring, when the melting snow reveals the ravaged bark, that the damage is noticed. The tree may even be so damaged that it does not survive the summer.

mesh around tree trunk
Wire mesh around the trunk of a fruit tree to protect it from small rodents. Photo: mapleleavesforever.ca

Fortunately, it is easy to protect bark from rodents. I simply wrap a piece of chicken wire around the trunk, keeping at least a 1/2 inch (1 cm) between the mesh and the bark. The height of the wire mesh will necessarily depend on the amount of snowfall that is common in your area. Three feet of wire may be sufficient in some cases, while 5 feet is not too much in others.

Plastic tree protector around tree trunk
Tree protector. Photo: upr.org.

Commercial “tree protectors” can also be used for this purpose. These are rolls that spiral open and are placed around the trunk. In addition to protecting trees from rodents, they help prevent “sunburn” (damage to the bark caused by cooling down too quickly after a bright day) and from the ravages of snow blowers and shovels.

Garden writer and blogger, author of 65 gardening books, lecturer and communicator, the Laidback Gardener, Larry Hodgson, passed away in October 2022. Known for his great generosity, his thoroughness and his sense of humor, he reached several generations of amateur and professional gardeners over his 40-year career. Thanks to his son, Mathieu Hodgson, and a team of contributors, laidbackgardener.blog will continue its mission of demystifying gardening and making it more accessible to all.

2 comments on “A Few End of Season Tips

  1. I like to go the garden centers at this time of year to pick up left over bulbs. They are marked down dramatically. Some I pot up in containers and keep them in the frost free but cold garage for an early Spring show or some such as the tulips you mentioned, I plant into the vegetable garden for cut flowers come Spring.

  2. Paul Chilton

    Some of your followers like myself are in the southern hemisphere where seasons are reversed. We are going into summer. Others may be in the northern hemisphere but not experience any sub zero temperatures, for example coastal areas and the lower latitudes.
    I suppose we cannot expect you to cover all climates in every blog.
    Perhaps a separate blog for ‘other’ seasons could be considered?

Leave a Reply

Sign up for the Laidback Gardener blog and receive articles in your inbox every morning!