If you’ve already had a frost in your area, as I have, then your warm season vegetables are looking pretty sad. It’s time to clear those old plants out. You can pull all the dead plants out and chop them up for the compost pile. Of course, if you have some cool season vegetables in your garden you’ll want to leave those.

Fall is a good time to also apply amendments to your soil. Products such as compost, when added now, will have time to break down further and become an active part of your vegetable garden soil.

You might also consider a fall cover crop. Plants such as winter wheat, vetch, and clovers can be planted now in most regions. These crops will germinate and grow this fall and even during the winter. When spring arrives they can be incorporated into your soil as green manure. Nitrogen fixing types (clover, vetch, and peas) make a great addition to the fertility of your soil for the next growing season.

With just a little work now you can save yourself vegetable garden preparation time in the spring. Your crops will thank you!

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Thanks and Happy Gardening!