This post is for you if you want to start your garden and/or plant some plants this Autumn. (It's also for you if you're unsure, and I bet I can convince you pretty quickly. Autumn is my personal favorite time to garden, and I'll share why below)
If you've been following along on socials, you know I've been sharing about starting a Cottage Garden From Scratch and why I think the start of Autumn is a fantastic time to start or add to your garden.
The beauty of gardening in the Autumn is that you tend to your space in a way where you start Spring with an already growing garden.
If you're saying, "yes! I want to garden in the Autumn!" Here are your steps:
First, you're going to want to figure out your average first frost date if you don't already know~
(find a calculator here: https://www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates )
The general rule of thumb is that you can plant perennials 6 weeks before your average first frost date. This gives the plants time to get their roots established before winter dormancy.
My average first frost date is November 8th where I live. So counting back, I need to get my perennial plants in between now and the 27th of September. (Also I live in a climate that doesn't get SUPER cold super quickly, so I know I have a bit more wiggle room, especially because I mulch heavily with grass clippings and wood chips and that helps insulate the plants, too.)
If you live in a climate with a similar first frost date to mine, (if you don't, scroll past this part to the next section) if you sheet mulch your space this weekend, you can then plant in your perennials the first week of October!
So here's your gardening schedule:
- Sheet mulch this weekend to create your blank slate (here's my free guide for how to do this)
- Spend the next two weeks Designing your Cottage Garden (either starting a new space or adding to your existing space) and Finding Perennial Plants to add to this space (Autumn is a great time to find discount plants at your local garden center! I found a bunch of herbs and flowering perennials for 50% off the other day!!)
- Get a load of compost for your garden space
- Plant your plants the first week of October (or later, depending on your first frost date!)
- Order and plant your bulbs in October/November (or whenever the ground isn't frozen)
- Let the garden rest over the winter
- Start some seed if you want starting ~February
- Begin your Spring with an already established garden & enjoy the bulbs & new growth.
- Add some more plants for the heck of it and plant out your seedlings
I could go on, but that feels a bit like I'm getting ahead of myself, so I'll stop there.
If your first frost date is closer and you've missed the perennial planting window, you can still sheet mulch and then plant your bulbs in October as long as the ground isn't frozen! Then you'll have a cleared garden space come Spring to plant your perennials in right away.
- Sheet mulch this weekend to create your blank slate (here's my free guide for how to do this)
- Get a load of compost for your garden space
- Order now and plant your bulbs in October (or whenever the ground isn't frozen)
- Put the compost in your garden space
- Let the garden rest over the winter
- Over the winter, spend time designing your garden space
- Start some seed if you want starting ~February
- Begin your Spring enjoying the beautiful bulbs popping up & planting perennial plants from your design.
- Plant out your seedlings and watch them grow.
Ok, wow. that kind of feels like a crash course for Autumn gardening. If you need more support than what I've written in this newsletter, I created a course for you: I call it Cottage Garden From Scratch where you'll find a series of 6 workshops that give you the steps to go from zero to garden. Check out all the info at this link here:
www.rootedcottagegardening.com/cottage-garden-from-scratch
Cheering you on in your garden and in life,
- Hannah, Rooted Cottage Gardening
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