When the last golden raspberry is eaten from the stalk, the pumpkin and gourd vines have dried and their fruit harvested, and the autumnal equinox has been reached, it is time to consider what should be done to prepare for a “better” garden next year. The winter solstice and next year’s garden seed catalogs, which perennially follow, can wait. Now is preparation time.

A good autumn cleaning up of the garden is not only a good aesthetic arrangement, but is an aide in keeping the garden free of some of those weeds which will surely plague you in the spring. Any thistle, pokeweed, and other deep-rooted weeds that have invaded will be difficult to completely purge, but an attempt now will find some reward in less energy available for those pesky plants. Oxalis, chickweed, burdock, and other annual weeds removed now will have fewer seeds available to germinate next year.

In the herb garden, cutting back of those stalks of hyssop, tansy, sorrel, and other tall herbs will help to keep them from being uprooted in the winter winds. Many of the herbs, such as parsley and basil, used fresh during the summer, can be dried and kept for winter use. A good trimming of the various mints and of Echinacea will be helpful, as well.

The strawberry bed will be enhanced for next year’s production by a covering of clean straw once frost enters the ground. The covering will help prevent the plant crown from being heaved during freezing and thawing periods.

The compost bin, if you have one, is a good place for most debris from the garden. Keep the pervasive weeds, such as thistle, out. It is also a good practice to remove the old tomatoes from the vines because their seeds will last through the heat produced in most small compost bins and provide multiple new plants to be brought back into the garden with the finished compost.

Finally, decide how to treat the soil that is exposed to potential erosion during winter storms. There are several solutions possible. One is to plant rye or cow peas as a cover crop which will also provide “green manure” when that crop is tilled into the soil in the spring. Another possible solution is to cover the soil with a good topping of leaf mulch that can also break down and then be tilled into the soil in the spring.

Each of these solutions has its own champions, but they all work to better the garden for the year to come.

Having done these chores, and a few others, it is great to look out over the garden and think of what you will plant next year. Get a soil test mailing envelope from your local county Extension office for $9 to test the soil for what nutrients may be necessary, and wait for those colorful catalogs to come.

Bring on the vernal equinox!

“Growing Green” is contributed by Lehigh County Extension Office Staff and Master Gardeners. Information: Lehigh County Extension Office, 610-391-9840; Northampton County Extension Office, 610-746-1970.