the fall cleanup chore I happily skip ✂️
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With the multiple freezes we had last week, my summer beds are officially done. The tomatoes, squash, beans, and zinnias are crispy, brown, and ready to come out. Except I'm not pulling any of them out. Most fall cleanup lists tell you to yank every spent plant out by the stem, whack the root ball against the bed to knock off the dirt, and haul the whole mess to the compost pile. I know, leaving dead roots in the ground looks like you gave up on the garden—but those roots are some of the best organic matter your soil will get all year. Those roots are already buried a foot or two deep. They feed the microbes that turn soil dark and crumbly, and as they rot, they leave behind tunnels for air, water, and earthworms. Pulling them does the opposite: It tears up the soil structure your plants spent all season building, shreds the fungal networks they depend on, and drags buried weed seeds to the surface just in time for spring. (Plus, a sore back the next morning.) So I do something I call cut, drop, and top. It's faster than pulling, and I don't have to wrestle with stubborn root balls. Here's why I leave old roots in the ground (and the two times I don't). Seasonal tipsThis week, with Bend schools closed for a couple more days, we decided to escape to the mountains for our last backpacking trip of the year. It rained in town but we had beautiful fall weather at an alpine lake in the Central Cascades. Each evening we were treated to a spectacular alpenglow from our campsite... it was really something! The kids got to build their own mini fires, roast marshmallows in the morning for their breakfast cocoa (yes, that's really a thing in our family 😄), climb the shale behind our campsite, cross dozens of logs, whittle sticks, and generally just enjoy being kids. Meanwhile, I loved idling away my time cooking outside with a view and having zero obligations. It was a wonderful reset for the week. Enjoy yours too. ❤️ P.S. Before you tug that tomato plant out by the stem, reach for your pruners. Here's what to do with spent plants instead. P.P.S. If any of your crops fought off a disease this year, that whole plant family needs to stay out of the bed for at least three years. Jot down which bed it was in your Ultimate Garden Diary so you're not guessing when you plan next spring. |
Garden Betty
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