Fall garden checklist: 15 jobs to do before winter

Autumn is one of the busiest and most rewarding times in the garden. The soil is still warm, rain is more reliable and plants put their energy into roots rather than leaves. The jobs you do now set up next spring. Here are the 15 that matter most, roughly in the order you will need them.

Planting

1. Plant spring bulbs. Daffodils, crocus and alliums go in from September; tulips are best planted in October and November, once the soil cools. Read our full guide to planting spring bulbs in fall.

2. Plant garlic and shallots. Plant garlic cloves and shallot sets a few weeks before the ground freezes. A spell of cold helps them divide into good bulbs.

3. Plant trees, shrubs and hedges. Fall is the ideal time to plant woody plants. Roots keep growing in warm soil long after leaves drop. Evergreen hedges such as boxwood, privet and yew establish quickly when planted now.

4. Divide crowded perennials. Lift and split clumps of hostas, daylilies and asters that have stopped flowering well in the middle. Replant the young outer pieces.

5. Sow hardy annuals and green manure. In milder areas, sow sweet peas and cornflowers for earlier flowers next year. Cover empty vegetable beds with a green manure such as winter rye or clover.

Harvesting and storing

6. Lift root crops. Store sound carrots, beets and potatoes somewhere cool, dark and frost-free. Parsnips and rutabaga (swede) can stay in the ground and taste sweeter after frost.

7. Cure winter squash. Cut butternut squash and pumpkins with a piece of stem, then leave them in the sun or a warm room for a week so the skins harden before storing.

8. Pick the last tomatoes and peppers. Before the first frost, bring in all fruit. Green tomatoes ripen indoors in a drawer or a paper bag.

Protecting plants

9. Bring tender plants indoors. Move citrus, pelargoniums, fuchsias and other frost-tender pots under cover before nights drop below about 5 °C (41 °F). See our guide to overwintering tender plants.

10. Lift dahlias and tender bulbs. In cold areas, dig up dahlia tubers, cannas and gladiolus after frost blackens the leaves and store them dry and frost-free. In mild areas, a thick mulch is often enough.

11. Protect pots. Raise containers onto pot feet so they drain, and wrap pots of borderline-hardy plants in burlap or bubble wrap.

12. Mulch beds. Spread 5 cm (2 in) of compost, leaf mould or shredded leaves over borders and empty beds. It protects soil from heavy rain and feeds it over winter.

Lawns, leaves and tools

13. Renovate the lawn. Early fall is the best time to rake out thatch, aerate compacted areas and overseed bare patches of cool-season grass.

14. Use fallen leaves. Rake leaves off lawns and paths, but leave some in borders for wildlife. Pack the rest into bags or a wire bin to make leaf mould, a superb free soil improver.

15. Clean and store tools. Drain hoses and irrigation, clean pots and seed trays, and sharpen and oil tools before storing them for winter.

Don't over-tidy

It is tempting to cut everything back, but seed heads of coneflowers, grasses and sedums feed birds and look beautiful in frost. Hollow stems shelter overwintering insects. Leave plenty standing and tidy up in early spring instead. Evergreen winter performers such as hellebores will soon take center stage.

Want a printable version? Download our free Month-by-Month Garden Checklist, and check the seasonal gardening calendar for jobs tailored to your climate zone.