Before and After the first frost - What Do You Do?

[dado potato]

We have had our first frost in the Northern Highland of Wisconsin. One hears geese on the wing.

Outdoor potted coleus, Italian parsley, and rosemary have been brought in to the sun porch for the winter season. They join African Violets that are blooming like crazy.

Perennials such as black-eyed susan, purple coneflower, beebalm, and lupine have been harvested for seed. I will trade seed with a few like-minded gardeners. Then in perennial beds I will rake off the mulch, seed, and replace the mulch. I will collect fallen pine needles, where I can, for added mulch.

Garlic for planting on Columbus Day is either in transit or in a paper bag waiting to be planted. This year I will plant "Killarney Red" and "Zemo" varieties of garlic.

I have cut up and composted climbing beans (I felt so sad to dispose of their remains … I loved those beans in life), and I have put away their wooden trellises until next year.

Apple cider presses are turning! I am sippin' soidah as I type! I do not have an apple tree, but I have a dear friend who owns several trees. She brought a bushel basket of McIntosh apples over.

I stopped by an orchard near Bayfield and bought half a peck of pears. As they ripen in brown paper bags, I am so grateful for having teeth.

Fruit!

[Yppej]

Before - weatherstrip, cut down dead flowers and ornamental grasses, remove non-frost hardy vegetables, start shifting clothes between the in season and out of season sections of he closet, remove air conditioners, turn off and drain the exterior water spigot, and some years replace the car battery (done today).

After, feast on fried green tomatoes saved from the frost, rake leaves, check the tires on the car and replace if needed, harvest then remove frost-hardy veggies before the first snow. Burn accumulated paper trash with risk of ID theft in the fireplace at my parents'. Local trips to outdoor spots are nice because the frost has killed off the mosquitoes. If your zoning allows it bonfires are perfect. I have a friend who hosts these.

[Teacher Terry]

Luckily it is still summer here with highs of 74.

[razz]

No frost in the forecast for a couple of weeks yet but I am starting tomorrow with the clean up.

I have arranged for my handyman to come and clean my eavestroughs. Have to do that each fall before frost makes the roof too slippery.

I have been away for almost 2 weeks so lots of gardening chores to catch up. I did mow the lawn but need to fall dress it.

I must dead head the hostas, echinacea, etc, clean up the climbing beans that are drying on the vine saving the seed (they were so good this year), pull the weeds in the lawn since we cannot use garden herbicides, empty the rain barrels and store, change the oil in the snowblower and raise the clearance level to avoid damaging the driveway sealer, put away my water garden, start the applesauce canning which is usually a dozen jars, plan my Hallowee'n decorations in my entryway and prepare for our family Thanksgiving weekend. That is enough to think about for now or I will feel overwhelmed.

[Float On]

Clean leaves out of pond...repeat...repeat...repeat....
Trim back things. Store seeds. Sow native wildflower seeds in new butterfly berm.
Get and spread another load of mulch.
Cardboard and mulch an area I'll be working on next year.
Say goodbye to the lush ferns and plants on the porch that I can't (won't) fit in the house for winter (ferns shed too much for me and with covered porches front and back not enough light anyway).
clean leaves out of pond again...repeat.

[Teacher Terry]

Our fruit trees are dropping fruit and leaves like crazy. I am cleaning them up every day. Saturday we are having a barbecue with a singer in the afternoon. We have 2 patios plus a big backyard so people can dance too. This is a first for us as far as live entertainment so should be fun.

[iris lilies]

I am planting like crazy, and hope to get all rooted plants in the ground within the next ten days. Not sure about new trees, tho, may buy those later.

Then, I am re-locating many important lily bulbs as well as digging others to give away.

edited to add I have to re-do work at the commu ity garden today. The little workers were set a task of planting day lilies and did an unacceptable job. They needed more direction than they got.

[Gardnr]

I do all my cleanup in the spring. I'll harvest the garden until it's all frozen off outside.

That said I've been consdering green manure this year. As poor as my harvest has been, I'm not excited about pulling everything out too early.....conundrum.

[iris lilies]

I do all my cleanup in the spring. I'll harvest the garden until it's all frozen off outside.

That said I've been consdering green manure this year. As poor as my harvest has been, I'm not excited about pulling everything out too early.....conundrum.
Do you mean that you want to dump fresh when you were on your garden right now and let it get soft over the winter?


I have three Lily beds that are completely worn out. One of them has grown the same liliessince the year 2001. I remember that specifically because that spring I planted the lilies, found this website, and went to Switzerland on a big family reunion.

Lilies can be heavy feeders and these guys just have not performed well in several years. I think I’m going to take them all up, put them in an entirely different bed, and plant Iris where lilies have lived for the past 17 years

[Tammy]

I do nothing. Sometimes we have 1-2 nights of frost in Dec or Jan. Sometimes we don’t.

This question reminds me of my years in Ohio ...

Today our temp is below 80 for the first time in over 4 months.

[Teacher Terry]

We also take our fire pit set off the back patio and put it under the covered patio. With having astro-turf we don't have a ton to do to get ready.

[Alan]

I don't have much to do other than purge water from the pools pump and filtration system and winterize the motorhome. Besides that I'll switch from shorts and tees to jeans and long sleeves and I'm done!

[Rogar]

Disconnect outdoor hoses! I made the mistake of forgetting one year and the frozen water split the pipes behind the spigots. Some years I'll cover tomatoes with a tarp and try for an extra few days of ripening. After the good frost the perennials are mostly shot. I'll start cutting back some, but wait until spring time for others. Some I leave over winter in areas where some self seeding might work out.

[Gardnr]

Do you mean that you want to dump fresh when you were on your garden right now and let it get soft over the winter?

IL, I'm not understanding. Please clarify? I want to learn from you.

[iris lilies]

IL, I'm not understanding. Please clarify? I want to learn from you.
You said “green” manure.what is that?

[iris lilies]

As far as cleanup: that wont happen until bery earlt spring. Last year we had warm days in January, and I clean and milched then. The earliet this garden had ever been cleaned!

[herbgeek]

Green manure as I understand it, is ground covers like vetch or clover or oats or rye.

[iris lilies]

Ok, I thought green manure meant fresh manure from animals, and fresh manure is hot. It has to cool down or soften.

[rosarugosa]

I have some tender succulents to bring in, and I'll want to bring in plants or cuttings of Mona Lavender Plectranthus, since that worked well last year.
Empty and wash out pots of other annuals.
There will be lots of leaves to rake and shred and spread in our garden beds, but that isn't time sensitive.
Cut back perennials.
Disconnect & store hoses, put away hammock, swap out screens for glass in the storm doors.
Move snow shovels to the front of the shed.
Has anyone in a cold climate had luck bringing in lantana plants or cuttings for the winter?

[Gardnr]

You said “green” manure.what is that?

Any wintering over low growth that feeds the soil. Article here: https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/green-manure-cover-crop-zmaz00amzgoe

At a Glance: Best Crops for Special ConditionsTolerates Acidic Soil: bell beans, most clovers, most vetches, buckwheat
Tolerates Alkaline Soil: alfalfa, barley, ryegrass, Sudan grass
Tolerates Drought Conditions: alfalfa, hairy vetch, barley, cereal rye, ryegrass, Sudan grass
Tolerates Wet Conditions: bell beans, subterranean clover, Austrian peas, mustard, oats, ryegrass
Tolerates Shade: most clovers, hairy vetch, cereal rye, ryegrass
Tolerates or Enjoys Heat: cowpeas, soybeans, buckwheat, Sudan grass
Breaks Up Compacted Soil/Deep Roots: alfalfa, bell beans, most clovers, barley, buckwheat, cereal rye, kale, mustard, ryegrass
Suppresses Weeds: most clovers, Austrian peas, field peas, soybeans, vetches, barley, buckwheat, cereal rye, oats, ryegrass, Sudan grass

[dmc]

Frost? We don’t get no stinking frost down here.

[iris lilies]

Frost? We don’t get no stinking frost down here.

How big are your cockroaches again?:)

[Teacher Terry]

I love my mild 4 seasons. The villages look fun for a few winter months but most won’t rent to more than 2 small dog.

[dmc]

How big are your cockroaches again?:)

With the proper treatment they just roll over and die.

In a few months it will be time to plant tomatoes.