Why Late Fall May Be The Best Time To Install Garden Beds

If you're already itching to garden next spring, late fall could be a great time to start a raised garden bed or prepare an in-ground bed on your property. Though it may be getting too cold in some regions for any planting, the end of fall can still be productive for your garden, thanks to great sales, cooler weather, and utilizing fallen leaves for your soil. Because spring is generally the time when people buy supplies for their gardens, stores may hold sales on these items closer to winter and the garden department won't be picked over. For example, the Best Choice Products raised metal garden bed is currently 55% off at Target for about $45. Additionally, installing garden beds in late fall should be less work than in the spring, since the outside temperatures will be cooler.

Besides potentially better prices on materials and avoiding sweating as you till the dirt or build your raised garden bed, late fall also offers an extremely beneficial resource — autumn leaves. The leaves that fall from your tree can help to condition your soil so that you're ready to start planting as soon as spring arrives. Preparing your garden in the fall is an easy way to get ahead next year, and your soil should be rich come springtime from the decomposing leaves.

Installing a new garden bed can be extremely exciting, and fall might be the best time of year to start getting your flower beds ready for spring, as well as your vegetable garden. When you begin your soil testing and amendments once winter has ended, you're already cutting into your planting and growing time. Setting up your garden and preparing the soil in late fall ensures that everything is ready to go as soon as temperatures start rising again next year. Plus, adding nutrients to your soil will be easier than ever, and possibly free. If you've been raking and bagging leaves as they drop from your trees, saving them and using them in your new garden will improve the soil throughout winter.

Once the leaves are placed in your garden bed, they will continue to decompose and break down. The leaves then start acting as a natural compost by slowly putting nutrients into your soil. You may still want to test your soil before planting, but autumn leaves are an easy, natural way to prepare a new garden bed. Before the leaves are added to your newly installed garden bed, you may want to shred them to speed up the process.

If you're looking for things to do around your house and garden this fall, starting a new garden bed is a great use of time and energy to get your soil ready. With raised garden beds that will be started in a grassy area, the grass should die away more quickly and easily than it would in spring. Buy or build the structure for your bed, place it in the perfect spot, and set a layer of cardboard over the grass. Add your soil, your shredded leaves, or any other amendments needed. A thick layer (4 to 6 inches) of shredded leaves could also be placed on top of the soil and then mixed into the dirt.

With in-ground beds, you'll need to prepare the area. First, decide exactly where you'd like the bed to go and set up markers to show the borders. You might simply put stakes in the ground and tie rope around them to section off your garden bed. Now, use a shovel and tiller and break up the ground, leaving you with a bed of soil. Add your autumn leaves to your garden bed and patiently wait for spring, when the soil will be full of food and ready to grow your plants.