Just because summer is winding down, doesn’t mean your garden has to wind down for the year. Fall is a great time to gear up for the next season, planting fall bulbs now for spring flowers and other things such as organic seed garlic to be ready for harvest in the spring and summer.
For seed garlic, planting during late September and October is the perfect time. You don’t want to get started too early, wait for the ground to cool down a bit and it will establish itself this fall before the weather gets too cold, and then next spring or summer it’ll come back and be ready to harvest in the summer. Some people also plant seed garlic in the spring, but planting it in the fall will give you a better crop in the summer time. When planting seed garlic, plant the cloves with the point facing upward about 2-3 inches deep, with 6 inches between each plant.
Fall bulbs, such as iris, daffodils and tulips should be planted as soon as the ground is cool and evening temperatures reach between 40-50 degrees. The bulbs will establish a root system before the ground freezes and you want to let that happen as they’ll be dormant all winter long and come up as the first colors of spring. Jolly Lane Greenhouse offers a wide variety of fall bulbs including Crocus, hyacinths, daffodils, tulips and allium all in a variety of colors to choose from. One of the best things about fall planting is you can enjoy the cooler weather while working in your garden as opposed to the heat of summer!
Like most gardens, deer can cause difficulties with growing crops and flowers as deer love to eat certain varieties and they can be difficult to block off. Fortunately, there are a few types of bulbs that are deer-resistant and deer will most likely leave alone unless they are desperate for food. Both hyacinths and daffodils are toxic to deer so they will leave them alone if they are growing in your garden. Unfortunately, deer love tulips. Once tulips come up and start to get ready to bloom, they are most likely gone the next morning because the deer found them. So you may want to consider planting these in an area protected from deer traffic.
Another plant to think of when adding to your garden for the upcoming season is the German Bearded Iris. German Irises grow in a variety of different sizes from dwarf to intermediate heights. Irises like a very well-drained site, and you should plant the rhizomes even with the soil. An iris planted too deep is more likely to rot.
Should you have any questions about fall planting or gardening in general, feel free to reach out to the Jolly Lane Greenhouse team or come visit us to see our wide variety of fall bulbs! Until next time, happy gardening!