Fall Cleanup and Plantings

For many home gardeners, fall is the time to clean up their beds and prepare them for winter’s rest. But for flower farmers, fall is even busier than spring! We’re in a race with Mother Nature to get our overwintering seedlings planted, prepare the beds for early spring crops, and continue harvesting fall blooms.

Here in Cape May, I’m fortunate to enjoy a long growing season. While some farmers are already seeing their first frosts, we’re still experiencing lovely high 60s to low 70s weather. Of course, there’s rain forecasted soon, which could bring a chilly front, but for now, this mild weather means our dahlias are still blooming (though they’ve slowed down) and our heirloom mums are nearing their peak.

What I’m Working on Right Now

For some reason, I keep thinking and planning as if I’m in early September, which means I’m sowing and planted my seedlings way later than planned. Am I the only one?

Thankfully, these warm temperatures are giving me a bit of grace! If you’re like me and running behind, using a row cover can buy you an extra month for your seedlings. And if you’re direct-seeding, they may not sprout until spring, but they’ll be ready to go when the weather warms up!

Tasks on my list:

Cleaning up the beds – I’ve got rows of dried-up summer stems that need to be cleared. I’m either cover cropping or adding an inch of compost and covering the beds to get them ready for early spring planting.
Weeding – I’m focusing on getting the rows for overwintering plants (including my perennial beds) weeded before the cold weather hits. This year, I’m adding more perennial flowers, so I’m converting part of my vegetable plot for them. That means a lot of weeding is on the agenda this fall!
Prepping and planting bulbs and corms – With our spring bouquet subscriptions in mind, we’re increasing our number of early spring bulbs, roots, and corms. It’s all hands on deck to get them planted before the season changes!

Let me share some photos of the fall plantings I’ll be doing: