Have I got some good news for those of you who are dreading fall garden clean up. You don’t have to do as much as you think and in doing so, you will support the survival of all kinds of pollinators, birds and small critters.
This time of year, our pollinator friends are starting to look for places to overwinter away from the snow and cold. They are looking for warm piles of garden debris, hollow stems, brush and soil to burrow into as well as for seeds for food.
Here’s where you come in. You can help the insects and birds find the shelter and food they need simply by not being too zealous about your fall clean up.
First, don’t rake up all your leaves and pine needles. Resist raking out flower beds and instead just pull off heavy piles from the tops of shrubs and spread them evenly across the beds. On lawns, mow or rake up fallen debris and mulch beds that didn’t have the benefit of trees nearby. If you have too much mulch, stock pile it for use in the spring. I mulch my garden boxes with shredded pine needles and then just plant through them in the spring.
Leave seedheads standing in beds so the birds and small critters can pick the seeds over the winter when other food supplies are scarce. It will look messy, but nature doesn’t care. In the spring, the stalks can be removed and added to the compost pile.
Do rake up fallen fruit tree leaves and fruit. While there might be some food or shelter value, there is more of a chance fruit tree pests might also hang out and then come out in the spring to wreak their havoc.
Leave a few patches of bare soft soil. Insects like bumble bee queens often burrow into the soil to hibernate. We discovered a large bumble bee nest in a shed this summer and left it. Bumble bees don’t reuse nests and will likely find winter homes in the sandy soil nearby.
Early fall is a good time to divide pollinator-friendly plants and scour the nurseries for end-of-season sales. The soil will stay warm into November which gives the plants time to send out roots and be ready to emerge in the spring. Plant flowering plants with an eye to those that bloom early in the spring when food sources are still low.
Look ahead to next fall and plant fall blooming plants that will produce seed and nectar In September when the food sources are winding down. Goldenrod, asters and Autumn Joy sedum are excellent choices for fall nectar production
Many of the native plants the pollinators look for are best seeded in the fall. In many cases, the seeds need a long period of vernalization to break down the seed coat so the seed can germinate. Over this period of cold temperatures, soil bacteria and soil chemicals basically soften or dissolve the protective seed coat.
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