When You Think Fall, Think Planting Season … but Hurry!

Professional gardeners and landscapers know to think a season ahead. You don’t wait for spring to clean up the yard, you do it before winter is out. Certain edibles just won’t wait for May; you’ve got to take a chance and plant in April before you’re sure to be past the last frost.

Likewise, spring is not prime planting season for the experienced green thumb. Autumn is a much better time to get several varieties of plants in the ground if you want them to thrive next spring.

Here Are 5 Reasons Why:

1. The soil is still warm.
2. Cooler air is easier on plants than summer heat.
3. Rainfall increases in the fall.
4. Pests and disease problems start to fade.
5. Early-blooming plants will do better in the spring.

“Okay, but what should I be planting?” you ask. Good question!

Trees and Shrubs

Many popular trees and large plants will do well in the Indiana spring if planted and watered in the fall. According to Purdue, good plants for fall planting include: most shrubs, crabapple, hackberry, hawthorn, honey locust, linden, most maples, sycamore, pine, and spruce.

Cold Season Flowers

Horticulturist Felder Rushing recommends putting early-blooming bulbs into the soil in autumn. Some annuals don’t mind the winter snow and will really pop come spring. Perennials are an excellent investment in next year’s garden. Some perennials good for fall planting include: lily-of-the-valley, violets, azalea, witch hazel, and wisteria.

Some annuals good for fall planting include: pansies, violas, and wallflowers.

Turfgrass

Late summer is optimal for seeding your lawn … but you can get away with it as late as mid-October. Kentucky Bluegrass and tall fescue are among the lowest-maintenance grasses and do well in Indiana. It’s better to plant turfgrass in fall than to wait for spring. The weather is more volatile in the spring and it’s just far more likely your seeds will die.

The Bottom Line

It all comes down to that age-old guessing game: when will the first frost come? In central Indiana, the average date the low will reach 32 degrees is October 18th, but it could just as easily be mid-November.

Give Clean Cut Lawn & Landscape a call for all your planting needs for this fall and for next year!

Clean Cut Lawn & Landscape
7415 W Jackson St
Muncie, IN 47304-9759
(765) 759-8575
info@cleancutlandscape.net