What to Do This Fall to Build Healthy Garden Soil
Take advantage of the cool season to improve soil texture and replenish nutrients
Lauren Dunec Hoang
September 30, 2020
Houzz Editor; landscape designer and former garden editor for Sunset Magazine and in-house designer for Sunset's Editorial Test Garden. Her garden designs have been featured in the Sunset Western Garden Book of Landscaping, Sunset Western Garden Book of Easy-Care Plantings (cover), Inhabitat, and POPSUGAR.
Houzz Editor; landscape designer and former garden editor for Sunset Magazine and... More
It’s easy not to think about enriching your garden soil until spring planting rolls around and nurseries are filled with tempting plant starts and budding perennials. If you put in a little legwork now to improve your soil, you will lay the foundation to support a healthy garden for seasons to come.
Fall is a great time to put fallen leaves to use in the backyard compost pile, plant cover crops that will add nutrients back into the soil, and tackle larger garden projects like sheet mulching.
Fall is a great time to put fallen leaves to use in the backyard compost pile, plant cover crops that will add nutrients back into the soil, and tackle larger garden projects like sheet mulching.
First, Know Your Soil Type
Getting to know your native soil — your starting point — is the first step in building healthy soil to support a flourishing garden. Soils are categorized based on the ratio of sand, silt and clay. Each type has different particle sizes and structural behaviors that determine the “soil texture.”
Sandy soils, for example, are considered a lighter texture. They have larger gaps between particles for water and nutrients to drain away freely. Silty soil types have medium-size particles with a soil structure that holds nutrients to promote strong root growth in plants. Clay soils, made up of small particles packed tightly together, have the heaviest texture. While the tiny particles and tight structure hold the largest quantity of nutrients, this also makes clay soils sticky when wet, and slow to drain.
Not sure what type of soil you have? Do a soil test
Getting to know your native soil — your starting point — is the first step in building healthy soil to support a flourishing garden. Soils are categorized based on the ratio of sand, silt and clay. Each type has different particle sizes and structural behaviors that determine the “soil texture.”
Sandy soils, for example, are considered a lighter texture. They have larger gaps between particles for water and nutrients to drain away freely. Silty soil types have medium-size particles with a soil structure that holds nutrients to promote strong root growth in plants. Clay soils, made up of small particles packed tightly together, have the heaviest texture. While the tiny particles and tight structure hold the largest quantity of nutrients, this also makes clay soils sticky when wet, and slow to drain.
Not sure what type of soil you have? Do a soil test
Potting soil mix contains, clockwise from upper left, coarse builder’s sand, high-quality organic compost or worm castings, coconut coir and small lava rock.
While it isn’t realistic — or recommended — to try to completely change your soil type, all gardens can benefit from taking steps to replenish nutrients and adding organic amendments to improve soil texture. Most garden plants grow best in soils that are rich in nutrients and have a texture that holds moisture but does not stay too soggy. Thus, the recommendations that follow for building healthy soil accomplish the goal of improving soil texture, adding back nutrients or both.
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While it isn’t realistic — or recommended — to try to completely change your soil type, all gardens can benefit from taking steps to replenish nutrients and adding organic amendments to improve soil texture. Most garden plants grow best in soils that are rich in nutrients and have a texture that holds moisture but does not stay too soggy. Thus, the recommendations that follow for building healthy soil accomplish the goal of improving soil texture, adding back nutrients or both.
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Welcome the Worms
Here’s the good news: While soil-building strategies do require some effort upfront, the bulk of the work is done through the slow, natural process of decomposition. Worms and soil microbes will do most of the work for you, busily working to decompose organic materials and, in the case of worms, to enrich the soil with castings while you have your feet up on the couch.
To make your garden a healthy habitat for worms, cut the use of any pesticides and don’t let beds get too soggy. Go a step further and set up a worm bin this fall for plenty of worm casting-rich compost for spring planting.
Here’s the good news: While soil-building strategies do require some effort upfront, the bulk of the work is done through the slow, natural process of decomposition. Worms and soil microbes will do most of the work for you, busily working to decompose organic materials and, in the case of worms, to enrich the soil with castings while you have your feet up on the couch.
To make your garden a healthy habitat for worms, cut the use of any pesticides and don’t let beds get too soggy. Go a step further and set up a worm bin this fall for plenty of worm casting-rich compost for spring planting.
Let Leaves Fall for Natural Mulch
Leaf litter, left to break down naturally on garden beds, adds organic material to the soil and promotes microbial life. To prep your kitchen garden for spring planting, add fall leaves (ideally shredded to speed up their decomposition) directly into the soil of raised beds and turn it over with a shovel. The leaves will break down over the winter, improving soil texture and adding back phosphorous and potassium to the soil.
5 Ways to Put Fall Leaves to Work in Your Garden
Leaf litter, left to break down naturally on garden beds, adds organic material to the soil and promotes microbial life. To prep your kitchen garden for spring planting, add fall leaves (ideally shredded to speed up their decomposition) directly into the soil of raised beds and turn it over with a shovel. The leaves will break down over the winter, improving soil texture and adding back phosphorous and potassium to the soil.
5 Ways to Put Fall Leaves to Work in Your Garden
Boost Your Soil With Sheet Mulching
Sheet mulching is a method of amending garden soil in which you stack layers of cardboard, wood chips and organic materials like a lasagna on garden beds. The cardboard suppresses weeds, and the lightweight layers slowly decompose to create a loamy, nutrient-dense layer of topsoil for planting. Getting this started in the fall gives the sheet mulching plenty of time to break down over the cool winter months to have soil ready for planting come spring.
Sheet mulching is a method of amending garden soil in which you stack layers of cardboard, wood chips and organic materials like a lasagna on garden beds. The cardboard suppresses weeds, and the lightweight layers slowly decompose to create a loamy, nutrient-dense layer of topsoil for planting. Getting this started in the fall gives the sheet mulching plenty of time to break down over the cool winter months to have soil ready for planting come spring.
The owners of this property in Piedmont, California, started with native soil of heavy, slow-draining clay. By sheet mulching the backyard before planting, they were able to significantly improve the soil texture and drainage. Now the garden is planted with low-water Mediterranean, South African and Australian natives that all need good drainage to flourish.
Set up a Compost System
Composting garden clippings and kitchen vegetable scraps turns waste into a valuable garden amendment rich in nutrients. While a compost can be as simple as a pile of leaves in your backyard allowed to break down, systems that are set up for optimum microbial action speed up the natural decomposition process and can produce compost in a few months.
To set the stage for these conditions in your pile or compost bin, alternate 4 to 8 inches of carbon-rich “brown” materials (dried leaves, hay, small twigs) with 4 to 8 inches of nitrogen-rich “green” materials (fruit and veggie scraps, grass clippings, green leaves). Use a pitchfork or shovel to turn the pile frequently to increase oxygen flow and contact between microorganisms and organic material.
Composting garden clippings and kitchen vegetable scraps turns waste into a valuable garden amendment rich in nutrients. While a compost can be as simple as a pile of leaves in your backyard allowed to break down, systems that are set up for optimum microbial action speed up the natural decomposition process and can produce compost in a few months.
To set the stage for these conditions in your pile or compost bin, alternate 4 to 8 inches of carbon-rich “brown” materials (dried leaves, hay, small twigs) with 4 to 8 inches of nitrogen-rich “green” materials (fruit and veggie scraps, grass clippings, green leaves). Use a pitchfork or shovel to turn the pile frequently to increase oxygen flow and contact between microorganisms and organic material.
Fall is a good time to start a compost system in your backyard for two reasons: You’ll most likely have a good quantity of “brown” materials on hand from fallen leaves to layer with kitchen scraps, and the pile will have enough time to sufficiently break down before spring planting.
The wire cylinder compost system in this backyard in Austin, Texas, was made from two lengths of roughly 4-foot-wide wire mesh. Curved to form a pair of upright cylinders with 3- to 4-foot diameters and staked in place, the system is simple and inexpensive to install.
See how to get started with composting
The wire cylinder compost system in this backyard in Austin, Texas, was made from two lengths of roughly 4-foot-wide wire mesh. Curved to form a pair of upright cylinders with 3- to 4-foot diameters and staked in place, the system is simple and inexpensive to install.
See how to get started with composting
Plant a Cover Crop
Plants such as red clover, legumes, hairy vetch and many cereal grains are grown as “green manure” to return nitrogen and organic materials to the soil. In mild winter climates, fall can be a perfect time to seed a fallow garden bed with a cover crop. To do so, sprinkle a cleared bed with seeds from either a single variety of cover crop or a mixture, allow the plants to grow to maturity and then cut with a mower before the plants set seeds. You can either turn the “green manure” into the bed with a shovel or simply allow the materials to decompose covering the ground.
Plants such as red clover, legumes, hairy vetch and many cereal grains are grown as “green manure” to return nitrogen and organic materials to the soil. In mild winter climates, fall can be a perfect time to seed a fallow garden bed with a cover crop. To do so, sprinkle a cleared bed with seeds from either a single variety of cover crop or a mixture, allow the plants to grow to maturity and then cut with a mower before the plants set seeds. You can either turn the “green manure” into the bed with a shovel or simply allow the materials to decompose covering the ground.
Dial Back Irrigation Systems
It’s easy to forget to dial back irrigation systems (or turn them off completely) once cooler weather and more rain arrive. Garden beds allowed to remain too wet and boggy can have a detrimental effect on soil texture and fertility. Waterlogged soil can tip microorganisms into anaerobic processes of breaking down organic materials, creating an environment that is less conducive to root growth (and that causes soggy containers to smell dreadful). To keep soil healthy, dial back your irrigation and check your garden for drainage issues after rains.
It’s easy to forget to dial back irrigation systems (or turn them off completely) once cooler weather and more rain arrive. Garden beds allowed to remain too wet and boggy can have a detrimental effect on soil texture and fertility. Waterlogged soil can tip microorganisms into anaerobic processes of breaking down organic materials, creating an environment that is less conducive to root growth (and that causes soggy containers to smell dreadful). To keep soil healthy, dial back your irrigation and check your garden for drainage issues after rains.
Re-Evaluate Maintenance Routines
Typical “mow and blow” garden maintenance schedules can have detrimental effects on soil health. While it may look neat and tidy to blow the areas under shrubs and trees free of any fallen leaves, the bare soil is far more prone to become hard, compacted and less permeable to water. This can be a particular problem in fall and winter gardens where perennials that would have otherwise filled in garden beds have gone dormant and soil is left exposed. Instead, limit blowers to hardscape and cover exposed garden beds with a protective layer of wood chip mulch.
More on Houzz
How to Switch to an Organic Landscape Plan
What to do in your garden this month
Find a landscape designer near your
Shop for outdoor products
Typical “mow and blow” garden maintenance schedules can have detrimental effects on soil health. While it may look neat and tidy to blow the areas under shrubs and trees free of any fallen leaves, the bare soil is far more prone to become hard, compacted and less permeable to water. This can be a particular problem in fall and winter gardens where perennials that would have otherwise filled in garden beds have gone dormant and soil is left exposed. Instead, limit blowers to hardscape and cover exposed garden beds with a protective layer of wood chip mulch.
More on Houzz
How to Switch to an Organic Landscape Plan
What to do in your garden this month
Find a landscape designer near your
Shop for outdoor products
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Do you bury it very deep? I was thinking I could use a stick as a marker and move he compost down the planting row. I appreciate your time and advice. Thank you!
^^
I live in the middle of a city and we have very large healthy trees. You have to consider your neighbors when you have small urban lots. If everyone else rakes their leaves and you don't , then the wind blows all of yours onto other lots and people are naturally irritated.
I think that the advice not to rake or clear leaves is unrealistic when you have about 80 bags before it is all over. They will kill the grass as well. If a lawn matters to you leaves need to be cleared as they fall. Also if they pile up by the edges of the house they hold water which then seeps into the basement. I know this from experience.
I understand about the insects and overwintering so I allow leaves to settle in the flowerbeds over the winter. But they need to be removed from the lawn.
I throw fruit and vegetable scraps and eggshells out the back door into a side yard which is not a very visible part of the garden. It makes the squirrels and bunnies happy and I've seen a few mice too. It does not seem to make much compost as all the creatures dine on it.
I have tried composting over the years. In a prairie climate where lots of grasses and weeds are fire adapted composting does not kill weed seeds. One of the biggest errors that I've ever made was to bring lots of cow and horse manure from a friend's ranch and use it to amend my beds. I think that I am still dealing with tough prairie weeds. The chicken house composting was very appealing though. Great idea if chickens don't scare you.