Gaia's Grove

Doing a fall garden assessment is the best way to ensure that next year is your best season ever. While you may think you’ll remember the details next spring, chances are your recollection will get hazy.

The first rule of gardening is “Grow what you love to eat.” So, it follows that the first part of your garden assessment should be looking at which crops you and your family loved. Were there varieties that you enjoyed more than others? What produce (including canned or frozen) did you wind up buying and could possibly grow it instead? Maybe there were crops you wished you had more of. Conversely, what did you have more of than you needed or wanted? Also, consider what plants just made you happy. Did the sight of corn stalks or dahlias just make you smile?

Garden Assessment Part 2- what went well and what didn’t

The second part of your garden assessment begins with looking at what went right, and what didn’t go so well. It is a good practice to keep track of your harvests, but even if you didn’t do that you probably have an idea of what produced best and worst.

What produced best?

What crops produced best? Were there species or varieties or the same crop that produced better than others? If you had the same crop in several areas, did they perform better in some spots than others? Asking these questions will help you know which crops and varieties are best suited to your climate (and microclimate). They will also help you determine the best placement for different crops. Were there crops that produced so well that you didn’t have a chance to eat or preserve them before they went to waste?

What crops failed and why?

Assessing disease/sun damage

What crops had significant disease damage? Were these plants overcrowded? Failure to produce and mildew issues may be a sign that they were planted too close together.

Did they receive enough water or too much water? Yellow leaves can indicate either overwatering or underwatering. If the lower leaves curled, it is more likely that they were overwatered. If the leaves turned brown, or the yellowing was worse on hot, sunny days it was more likely underwatering. Did you have crops that did better or worse during times of drought or heavy rain? This can also offer a clue as to whether plants were over or underwater. Did you notice if the soil around them was wet or dry? Was is bare or mulched? Also, some plants, like tomatoes like to be evenly well watered, but do not tolerate overhead watering well, and wet leaves are more likely to become diseased.

Did they receive enough sunlight or did they get sun scalded on the hottest days? Observing the sun patterns in your garden can be extremely valuable. Even times when the sun is at a similar height can be quite different. For example, a bed that is great for early spring crops, when the nearby trees haven’t yet budded may receive significantly less light in the fall when leaves haven’t yet fallen. Also, consider whether taller crops might be shading out shorter ones. If the shorter plant. If the shorter plant tolerates part shade or is prone to bolting, this shading might be helpful. But for sun-loving plants, this could cause a problem.

Observations on pest damage

What crops had pest problems? Pests are drawn to stressed plants. Diseased, over, or underwater plants will be more likely to have pest problems. So will seedlings that are transplanted too early, or without being hardened off. Might some plants have benefited from the (sparing) use of organic sprays such as neem oil or BT? Better yet, are there plants that could be planted nearby to attract insects that would prey on the problem pests or as a trap crop? For non-flowering plants, might insect netting be helpful? Also, be mindful of what type of mulch you are using. The year I mulched heavily with wood chips I had a huge slug problem! I would have been better off either with a different mulch or applying the mulch later in the year when plants were better established.

Larger pests are a whole different ballgame, if your crops were nibbled (or decimated) by rabbits, deer, etc. You may consider fencing and other protection. Sometimes, though subtle shifts may be all that is necessary. For example, I’ve found that moving my containers of carrots and lettuce to just outside my front door was enough to discourage the deer from helping themselves to the harvest. Planting very fragrant herbs like rosemary, oregano, and mint (which deer dislike) nearby may also make them less likely to sniff out your other crops.

Harvesting and pruning

To prune or not to prune

Were the plants pruned, if appropriate? While many plants don’t need to be pruned, some will benefit from pruning. Many plants benefit from the removal of their lower leaves as they get taller, to prevent disease and keep them from harboring slugs and other pests.

There are differing opinions on tomatoes, in particular. The advice ranges from pruning heavily to not at all. I take a middle-of-the-road approach. I don’t prune cherry tomatoes. For my larger varieties, I pruned off any low leaves and suckers (limbs that grow out of the main stem just above a leaf). But as the season progresses and the plant grows taller I allow a few suckers to grow. I only prune leaves that appear diseased, or if there started to be a thick mess of leaves and stems that will prohibit good airflow.

Finish strong- harvesting correctly

Were they harvested at the right time and frequency? Most fruiting vegetables need to be harvested frequently. If the fruit is allowed to overripen the plant will sense that it has produced seed. Having fulfilled its only life purpose it will then stop producing more fruit. Similarly, many flowers produce only a short-lived flush of blooms, unless fading blooms are deadheaded. Many herbs and leafy vegetables also benefit from regular harvest.

Other crops are only harvested once, but timing matters. Some, like potatoes, should be harvested when the foliage dies back completely for the biggest harvest. They can be harvested early, but you won’t get as big a haul. Others, like parsnips and sweet potatoes, should be harvested earlier when the foliage begins to yellow. Still, others you’ll want to harvest while the foliage is still healthy and plentiful. DO NOT go by the days to harvest on the seed packet, as that is only a guideline, and is based on ideal growing conditions.

What was worth the space/time/money?

The third part of your garden assessment is assessing your return on investment. Did certain crops take up too much space for the harvest they yielded? For most gardeners, space is limited, so you may want to reconsider devoting a large space to a crop that didn’t yield much. The same is true of time. Time is your most valuable resource. If there was a crop that required a lot of extra time, is it worth it? What about crops that required a lot of spending on plant food or pest protection? Include your lawn in this consideration. Lawns take a lot of maintenance, fertilizing, and water! Consider replacing part of your lawn with native plants. They require very little time or water, and many double as medicinal herbs.

Even more than assessing your crop choices. A fall garden assessment is a great time to look at your systems. What are your systems? In short, it is how you do things. Systems include irrigation, crop placement, timing, pest control, mulching & weeding, and harvesting.

What tasks were too time-consuming?

As I mentioned, time is a gardener’s most precious resource. If you spent too much time watering, consider investing in drip irrigation. Or can you add mulch, plant more intensively, or use companion plants to reduce evaporation?

With a few exceptions, most weeds won’t actually compete with your crops. You do want to make sure they don’t go to seed. Often the chop and drop method to control weeds. If weeds are getting out of hand, you can use mulch or plant your crops closer together to decrease the ability of weeds to flourish. A few crops, like carrots, are intolerant to competition.

Can you place plants that were underwatered in the same area? This way you can water this area more often giving the extra water to the plants that need it, without overwatering others. (And saving you time!)

Often, a new tool or piece of equipment makes life easier or makes crops more productive. You can consider whether it is worth the expense. A low hoop house can be a relatively small expense compared to the benefits of insect protection and extended growing season. For myself, I will be buying a sickle to harvest my expanded grain plots. Fall is also a good time to see what tools need to be replaced… and start dropping those holiday gift idea hints!

Giving your plants the best start

Were your seedlings strong?

There are definite advantages to starting plants from seed, saving money, and broader variety choices to name but two. But seed starting has its own challenges. It isn’t recommended for some plants to be started inside, so refer to your seed packet. If you are starting seeds indoors, there are a few things you can do to increase your success.

Increase your germination success

If you had low seed germination, old or incorrectly stored seeds may be to blame. As a general rule of thumb, the smaller the seed, the less well it stores. But more often it is conditions that cause low germination. Be sure to plant your seeds at the recommended depth. Usually about twice the width of the seed deep. Many seeds prefer warmer soil temperatures to germinate, so you may want to invest in heat mats. I place seeds that don’t need light to germinate on top of my refrigerator, where they get a bit of extra warmth.

Humidity is also a factor. Most seeds like moist but not soggy soil for germination. Since seed plugs dry out easily you probably want to cover your seed trays until they germinate, then uncover or vent the ray once you put them under lights. Often it also helps conserve moisture (and space) to start seeds on one larger tray, and then transfer them to individual plugs once they sprout.

Help seedlings thrive

Once seedlings sprout they need three things, light, water, and nutrition. You’ll almost definitely want to provide supplemental light and the hours and strength of sunlight when spring seedlings are started will probably not be enough to make them thrive. You want to make sure that the lights are close to the plants (just not close enough to burn them). Most suggestions are to keep lights on for at least 12 hours a day.

Seedlings should be kept evenly moist. The best method is to water them from below- place seed trays in a tray of water for 30 minutes twice a day. If you notice growing seedlings are drying out in less than 12 hours as they get bigger, moving them to a bigger pot will give them more moisture to draw on. Lastly, nutrition. Most seed-starting mixes do not have enough nutrition to feed the seedling until it is transplanted. Once the third set of leaves appears (the second set of “true leaves”) seedings should be fertilized once every two weeks.

Direct Sowing Success

For germination of direct sown seeds (seeds sown directly in the garden), the same factors apply. Be sure that the seed is planted at the right depth, the soil temperature is in the range preferred by that plant, and the soil stays moist until germination. One way to help this happen is to cover seeds (especially those planted near the surface) with wood or cardboard until seedlings appear. Just don’t forget to check them often and remove the covering as soon as the seedlings break ground.

Transplanting Hazards

Transplanting seedlings that were started indoors is another time for many potential problems. In my experience, there are a few things you can do to ensure transplanting success.

Timing is everything

The first is to wait as long as possible to transplant seedlings outdoors. You don’t want plants to get root-bound (when the roots are too big for the pot). But waiting longer to transplant will allow seedlings to grow a bit bigger. They will fare better against pests and weather if they are better established. In spring, this also will help ensure that soil/air temperatures have reached a point where the plant will thrive. This varies greatly by plant type, from artichokes and onions that can go out well before your last frost, to peppers which can be stunted in transplanted before nighttime temperatures reach 55F.

Harden off your transplants

The next is to harden off your transplants. This simply means gradually getting them used to the outdoor conditions. The standard suggestion is to do this over seven days, bringing them outside for only a short time placing them in a shady spot on the first day, and gradually exposing them to more and more sun and time outside each day. For most people who work outside the home, this is difficult. So I at least aim for the method suggested by Brian at Next Level Gardening– which is to find a time when there are 3 days of cloudy weather forecasted, and bring them outside each of those days, and back in the house each night. Then they can be transplanted outside.

Protect your little guys

The third is pest protection, newly transplanted seedlings are going to experience some degree of stress which seems to be like a neon sign for pests. So it may be helpful to provide additional pest protection for new transplants. Insect netting, an empty milk carton with the bottom removed, or a tin can with no top or bottom can all help protect your transplant while it gets acclimated to the great outdoors.

The last consideration in your garden assessment is what will be different next year. We tend to think of the garden as a static thing, but it isn’t, especially when it comes to perennials in or around the garden. Some things to consider it whether trees, shrubs, or other perennials have grown too close together. Have light patterns changed as perennials have grown? Do any perennials need to be divided? Are there perennials that are fading, if so you may want to plant new ones.

The other thing to keep in mind is changes in your household or lifestyle. Are children getting older and eating more, or are one or more going to be moving out? Maybe you are starting a new job or project that will significantly affect the time you can devote to the garden. Are certain tasks becoming harder as you age or due to illness or injury? Will you be adding animals to your property that you would like to grow food for?

Your fall garden assessment is the start of your best season yet

Now is the best time to perform a garden assessment your garden, while it is fresh in your mind. And doing a thorough garden assessment will help you make improvements that will make next year better than ever. You can get better yields, have more of the foods you love to eat, and save time and money. If you would like help planning your garden, contact is for a garden consult.