Fall Garden Prep Starts Now—Why Experts Say It’s Time to Check Your Soil

Gardening is hard work, but once you taste the success of a victorious garden, you’ll want to experience it again. Prepping a garden to produce gorgeous florals or healthy veggies isn’t a one-season task; the work starts early.

We asked a master gardener for the most important fall garden task to start early, and it’s so simple, we’re already doing it ourselves.

Test Your Soil Beforehand

The number one fall task Lapic says to do early this year? Testing your soil.

“The reason this is so important to do in early fall is that having these results will allow you to amend your soil right away, as recommended, so that by spring your soil is at peak health for next year’s plants,” he says.

There are two ways you can test your soil: with an at-home DIY kit or by sending a sample professional state lab. At-home soil test kits make the process more convenient, but their results aren’t as accurate as a lab analysis.

“Testing your soil can be done for a minimal charge through your extension office, and is tested at the state college or university associated with your state’s extension program,” Lapic says. “Here in Pennsylvania, the testing is done through Penn State University, and the fee is $10.”

Spending the money on a professional analysis may be a better investment to ensure your garden’s soil health is up to par for a bountiful harvest next spring.

Want more gardening tips? Sign up for our free gardening newsletter for our best growing tips, troubleshooting hacks, and more!

Then Prep Your Soil for Planting

Once your soil test results come back in, Lapic says the next step is to make any necessary adjustments. According to Lapic, the homeowner will eventually receive an analysis of their soil that covers the pH, as well as the levels of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. You can also expect to get a recommendation for lime or fertilizer, depending on the plants you’re planting in that area.

Adding more organic matter and lime to your soil will help improve your garden’s pH levels if they are low. Plus, it will make your soil ready for plants by providing them nutrients they need for healthy growth.

If you’ve started a home compost pile, adding in the matter to the soil in the fall gives the compost the perfect amount of time to decompose and elevate the soil’s health.

As any gardener knows, soil health is a crucial element to any successful garden. Starting this process early can help you get ahead and reduce the amount of garden work you have to do if your soil isn’t the best environment for your plants.

More Fall Tasks to Help Your Garden Thrive

Testing and repairing your soil isn’t the only fall garden task you should do this year. In fact, there are several other tasks you can do in the comfortable weather of fall so your garden can thrive.

Weeding

While you’re tilling up your soil to add enriching nutrients, don’t forget to remove pesky weeds in the process. Weeding during the fall ensures that the weeds don’t have the chance to spread and take over the soil by becoming established enough to soak up the nutrients future plants will need.

Remove Dead Plants

Speaking of pulling up weeds, fall is the perfect time to remove any diseased or dead plants. Not only does this enhance the aesthetics of your garden, but it also greatly improves the garden’s health. Removing dead or diseased plants keeps the diseases from spreading and compromising what you plant next.

Plant Bulbs

Planting vibrant flowers? Then bury those bulbs in the fall for healthy growth later on! Spring-flowering bulbs need the cooler temperatures of the fall and winter to ignite their biochemical process that causes them to bloom in the spring.