This week on the Good Growing podcast Ken and Chris discuss why we clean up our gardens in the fall. Cutting down perennials, raking leaves, and pulling out spent vegetable plants is a common job for the gardener in the fall. As the autumn days get shorter our time is precious outdoors. What needs to be done now and what can wait until next year?

Watch us on YouTube https://youtu.be/scU_YKv_gFE

Skip to what you want to know:
00:29 Hey Ken! It rained!
02:33 Fall clean up. Why do we do it?
04:38 How does cleaning the vegetable garden break disease cycles?
11:53 Adding amendments to the vegetable garden.
13:55 Using manure in the garden.
16:32 Shifting gears to our yard, should we be mowing shorter for our last mowing of the year?
18:21 What about fall leaves? Should we shred them or leave them on the lawn?
22:30 Do trees and shrubs need water as part of putting the landscape "to bed?"
25:06 Cleaning up our perennial plants in the fall. Deadheading aggressive seed producers.
26:59 Cutting back perennials can wait until spring, at least for the plant's sake. Your situation may be different though!
32:30 Brief tool talk. (preview of next week)

Fall garden clean up with pollinators and other wildlife in mind https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2021-10-22-fall-garden-clean-pollinators-and-other-wildlife-mind

When should I start cleaning up my garden? 
https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2023-03-02-when-should-i-start-cleaning-my-garden

Contact us! 
Chris Enroth: cenroth@illinois.edu
Ken Johnson: kjohnso@illinois.edu 

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Any products or companies mentioned during the podcast are in no way a promotion or endorsement of these products or companies.

Barnyard Bash: freesfx.co.uk 

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