Fall Planting: The Whys and Wherefores

the advent of xeric gardening has changed lots of gardening habits, including when to plant. We still dig in those spring blooming bulbs during the fall, but...


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  • Topic: Fall Gardening
  • Author: Cindy Bellinger
  • Keywords: fall, fall planting, transplant,, Fall Gardening, gardens
  • Date: September 2003

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For too long we’ve thought planting in the fall only meant planting bulbs. But the advent of xeric gardening has changed lots of gardening habits, including when to plant. We still dig in those spring blooming bulbs during the fall, but when the weather cools, it’s also perennials, trees, shrubs and vines that get planted now.

But why?

Fall is an ideal time for planting for the following reasons:

  • The air is cooler so plants don’t need as much water. This time of year also makes it easier on humans, too. We can work longer hours outside. Think of how it was in July. It was miserable—unless you were in your garden at six in the morning.
  • There is less transplant shock because of the cooler air. With plants not needing to battle being uprooted from their home plus dealing with the hot sun, they seem to take to new locations much better in the fall.
  • The soil is warmer. When the air begins heating in the spring, the soil is still pretty cool. In the heart of summer, the soil can sometimes be a little too warm. But in the fall soil tends to be just right, which makes the roots happy thus letting them grow faster.
  • After the tops of plants have stopped active growth, all the energy of a plant returns to the roots. It’s during the fall that roots get a chance to absorb all of the nutrients without needing to distribute them to the leaves and blooms.

Fall planting can continue through mid-October. This will give roots another two months to get all the goodies they can from the soil and establish themselves before winter. Once established, plants also have a better chance of making it through the heat of July and August.

Because it’s almost a genetic reflex to plant in the spring, changing to fall planting requires a new mind-set. But go ahead, give it a try. And just think. If you plan and plant now, you can have a garden all set to bloom in the spring and you’ll be one step ahead of yourself.