Fall garden cleanup can be very stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. In this post, I will tell you when to start and which chores you can safely skip.
Then I’ll give you my 5 best tips and hacks to speed things up, as well as tools and techniques you can use to simplify your life.
Do You Really Need To Clean Your Garden In The Fall?
When I first started gardening, I thought I had to completely clean all of my beds and get everything done before the snow flew. And I mean everything.
I thought I had to remove every little bit of dead plant material, fallen leaves, and other debris in the fall (I’m a bit of a clean freak). OMG did I make things stressful for myself!
Well guess what? You don’t need to have a completely clean garden in the fall after all. In fact, it’s actually good to leave many things in your beds until spring.
Chores You Can Skip
Here are three major fall garden chores that you can skip all together if you want, which will save you tons of time (and stress).
Keep The Leaves In Your Garden
Leaves are good for the garden and feed the soil as they break down. They also help to add a layer of winter mulch that can protect your plants from the harsh cold.
So don’t spend time cleaning them out, leave them in your beds. They’ll break down quickly, and you can mulch right over them.
Leave The Foliage On Your Plants
Dead plant material is a wonderful place for beneficial insects to hibernate during the winter. Removing all of the plant material in the fall means you could be destroying the good bugs that overwinter in your garden.
So don’t cut everything back. The one big exception to this is irises. You definitely want to cut those down in the fall to avoid an iris borer infestation next summer.
Don’t Deadhead All Of The Flowers
Flowers, like coneflowers and sunflowers, have seeds that feed the birds, squirrels, and other animals through the winter months. So don’t remove all of the flower heads, leave some out there to feed the wildlife.
Many perennials are also wonderful winter interest plants, so you can continue to enjoy your gardens even when they’re covered by snow.
When To Clean Up Your Garden In The Fall
The best time to start is after the first few freezes have killed most of the plants. Freezing temperatures are a trigger for perennials that it’s time to begin the process of going dormant.
If you start cutting things back too early it could trigger new growth, and you don’t want to do that in the fall or it could shock the plant. So it’s good to wait until everything is fully dormant.
5 Fall Garden Cleanup Tips That Will Simplify Your Life
Over the years I’ve come up with several shortcuts to speed things up for myself.
1. Don’t Cut Everything Back
In the fall you should cut down early-blooming perennials, like peonies, tulips, bleeding heart, and irises for example.
That way you don’t have to worry about damaging the new growth when you clean up your gardens in the spring.
I also recommend deadheading aggressive self-seeders, like rudbeckias, columbine, and liatris, so they don’t spread all over your garden.
2. Get Yourself A Leaf Blower
Trust me on this, a leaf blower is worth every penny. I used to be a rake girl, and actually kinda enjoyed raking the yard (until my arms felt like they would fall off).
But now that I have a blower, I can’t believe how much easier it makes my fall garden cleanup. All I have to do now is blow the leaves right into my beds or a nice, neat pile. It’s much faster and easier.
3. Use Your Lawn Mower As A Leaf Vacuum
Another huge time saver is using your lawn mower like a vacuum cleaner to suck up the leaves from your lawn.
Put the bag on your mower to capture the clippings, then dump them into yard waste bags, your compost bin, or directly into your garden to use as mulch.
Or, leave the mower bag off and mulch the leaves directly into the lawn instead, they’re good for the grass too.
Related Post: How To Winterize Your Garden
4. Use A Hedge Trimmer To Cut Back Perennials
Another one of my favorite fall cleanup hacks is using a hedge trimmer to quickly and efficiently cut down my perennials. Hand held hedge shears also work great if you don’t have an electric one.
I used to spend hours and hours cutting everything back with hand pruners until my husband came out with the electric trimmer to help me one day, and it was a game changer!
It takes a few seconds to cut back each plant. Then all I have to do is pick up the cuttings and toss them into the yard waste bin.
5. Focus On Critical Fall Garden Cleanup Tasks & Let The Rest Go
My last tip to simplify your fall garden cleanup is to focus on the most essential tasks, and let the rest go. Don’t worry, it will be waiting for you in the spring.
I wish someone would have given me this advice when I was a newbie, because it really does take the stress and pressure off.
More Gardening Tips
- How To Prepare Your Vegetable Garden For Winter
- How To Protect Plants From Frost Damage
- When & How To Plant Flower Bulbs In The Fall
- How To Preserve A Carved Pumpkin
Add your tips to simplify fall garden cleanup, or share your checklist in the comments section below.
Lee Bush says
Thanks for the tips, Amy. I joined your email list in the spring, and I enjoy getting these articles and the ideas they bring. This was my first year back in the garden in decades; yep, you read that right. I started everything from seed this year and have had considerable success with a small amount of plants.
I believe my garden clean-up requires a bobcat; it is that bad. Next year will be better, and that starts today. Clean up first, then read my notes from this year to create a more organized garden.
Keep up the great work.
Amy Andrychowicz says
You’re welcome! A bobcat? Oh my, haha! Yes, it’s definitely going to take you some time to clean up your neglected gardens, but it will get better and better every year for sure. Good luck!
Dudley Serapio says
I simply wanted to thank you for these marvelous tips and tricks you are showing at this website.
Amy Andrychowicz says
You’re welcome, glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
MJS says
Ha, all these years I let my garden go until spelling of the next year. My sister alway cleaned out her garden beds in the fall and would not have to do a dang thing in the spring except watch her gardens grow and plant new stuff to grow.
So this year I decided to do the same thing. So Saturday, Sunday, And Monday I worked so hard clearing all the dead stuff away from the front of the house. My house faces north and that’s the area that snow melts last. By the time I can get to it, I discover all that my spring bulbs are suffering under all the dead and water logged foliage from the previous year. So I think it was a good thing to totally clear that out. But I like the idea of putting down some leaves to decompose until spring.
But after reading this great bill of arrival, I think I’ll leave all the flowers in the middle of the yard just be, leaves and all until next spring. So thanks!
Amy Andrychowicz says
You’re welcome! I hope your gardens will look amazing in the spring after all of your hard work to clean them up this fall. 🙂
Shirley Wood says
Our flower beds are in a mess right now and in need of attention. I always mulch them this time of year with the leaves.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Haha, my gardens are a mess right now too! Fall is such a busy time of year!
Carole @ Garden Up Green says
My leaf blower is the wind and that seems to work pretty well in the country. It’s the pine needles that just stick around but they make great fire starters and I do use some in fall decorating. Great tips and for me just a little bit of effort each days goes a long way and a lot less stressful than trying to get everything done in one day. Enjoyed!!
Amy Andrychowicz says
Haha! That seems to work for my neighbors too, cause all their leaves blow right into my yard. That’s ok, cause I need them for the gardens anyway. 😀 Doing a little bit of fall garden cleanup every day is an excellent idea, and something I should try to remember every year! LOL!
Julie says
Great tips, and you have said the truest thing about gardening ever “Gardening is not one of those hobbies where you can control every little detail” ain’t that the truth!
Amy Andrychowicz says
Haha, yes it sure is! 😀
RD@Wetland Planting says
Thanks for the tips. It can be a really heavy task to clean a garden especially during fall. Cleaning seems easier if you know some techniques.
Amy Andrychowicz says
You’re welcome!
Laura @ RYG says
One of our neighbors purchased not a leaf blower exactly, but an actual machine that you push that blows the leaves. On an 1/2 acre lawn, my husband had the leaves blown over the fence and into our raised beds in about 7 minutes. It was unreal. And my husband felt so manly operating this machine. We’re still undecided if we’re going to be lazy and just let them decompose, stuff them into our composters or put them into bags and let them break down. But ugh, you are so right, Fall bogs me down, I just want to finally watch a few movies and bake a pie and there is such work to do! And with the cost of eggs these days, we’re actually considering getting chickens!
Amy Andrychowicz says
Wow, that leaf cleanup machine sounds amazing!! The great part about the leaves is that you can just leave them in your garden until you decide! They’ll still be there in the spring. 🙂 Yes, I know what you mean about all the work there is to do in the fall. This late fall we’ve been having this year has been both a blessing and a curse. It’s nice to have all this extra time to get stuff done, but I’ve been really dragging it out. I’m just ready for it all to be done! I have thought about getting chickens too, we eat a lot of eggs and the organic, cage free eggs are very expensive to buy. Maybe some day.
Mike the Gardener says
Cleaning up the garden is admitting that the season is over. Unfortunately it does come to an end and the garden must be cleaned out right? Me and my 2 sons just pulled everything out.
One great thing about this time of the year, is getting the leaves that are falling and mixing them right into my soil.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Yes, fall is definitely one of the hardest times of the year for us gardeners! I just spent a few hours this weekend collecting the fall leaves from our yard (and the neighbor’s yards – hehe) to put into my garden beds! Love it!
MJS says
Yeah this is a hard time for me. I hate watching my garden die, although admittedly, I’m so over gardening when the dog days of summer hit and it seems like even my toughest full-sun flowers are begging for relief from the relentless heat and humidity. But the early fall kind of gives everything a short reprieve and many of my perennials and annuals seem like they spring back even if for just a little while. So yeah I just wish we could have a longer, more mild growing season before the endless days of winter arrive.
Amy Andrychowicz says
I feel your pain! Fall is always a hard time for me too. 🙁