By Friday, the job was mostly done. It was a stroke of luck that I didn't take off this week as I had originally hoped. According to my notes, this snow is early!
It went a little like this: I'd start pulling veggies out of the garden and then stop to bring them inside, wash and preserve them. Maybe cook a pot of soup. Back outside to do a little more, till I was distracted by another part of the big picture. Cut some plants, dig some compost, bag some weeds, shuck some peas, cook some greens.
I couldn't bear to cut down the liatris, which are still blooming, or the fine fan of tall iris pseudacorus leaves, which make such a statement. I'll leave them standing for winter interest.
Even though it looks like the trend in gardening is toward leaving plants to fall down and mulch themselves, I say do what works for you. Do your cleanup now, or leave it for the spring.
As for me, I like to clean up in the fall. It gives me a chance to really look at the plants, see how much they have grown -- or not. I can pull out weeds that were hiding under growth before they get established or drop their seeds, and I can really work on slugs and their eggs. I also like to lay down a layer of compost now.
This way, when spring comes around, I'm ready to go again. I've had all winter to look at my notes, think about how I might want to move things around or where I want to start. There is enough work to do in the springtime without having to add hours of cleanup when I'm raring to plant.
Talk Dirt is a garden blog for the Alaska community hosted by Fran Durner of the Daily News. Join the conversation at adn.com/talkdirt.
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