As we will approach Thanksgiving on Thursday, I thought it would be timely to share some fun fall gardening and landscaping tips with a twist on thankfulness.
Thankful for our soil
The soil is where it all begins.
As gardeners we are stewards of the soil. This winter season you can show your thankfulness by learning more about testing your soil, and the benefits of planting cover crops and adding organic matter. A website to explore, especially when caring for soil in an urban area that may have issues because of past uses, is dirt.osu.edu.
Additionally, this fact sheet on soil testing can be beneficial, too: ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-1132.
Simple steps can pay big dividends when it comes to soil. Take time this winter to learn more about soil health and what you can do to help.
Thankful for spring blooms
As temperatures drop and daylight continues to lessen, daydreaming of spring flowers will certainly bring thoughts of thankfulness.
As a quick reminder, the flower buds of some of our spring favorites such as forsythia, dogwoods, crabapples, lilacs, and flowering quince have been set, and pruning now through the spring prior to flowering will remove those buds and reduce the spring show. While pruning doesn’t harm the overall plant, fewer blooms could be less enjoyable.
A general rule is to prune spring flowering trees and shrubs after flowering to maximize floral enjoyment. On the flip side, if you have plants that bloom on new wood, or later in the season, pruning can be done over the winter without removing flower buds because they have not been set.
If you are wondering when to prune, there is a simple question: Does the plant bloom on old or new wood?
Planning with a purpose for 2023
Be thankful for your garden successes and learn from your trials. Now is the time to make plans for the next season.
Whether you are an edible gardener, a plant collector, or a gardener that plants for wildlife including pollinators, challenge yourself to “grow” as a gardener. While considering your past successes and plant favorites, challenge yourself to grow something new. Explore a new plant, choose a new fruit or vegetable that just may expand your taste palate, or increase plants that add ecological benefits to your landscapes.
The garden, landscape, and world around you will benefit, and you can be the reason!
I hope that you and your family have a happy Thanksgiving, and that this year you are thankful for the gardens and landscapes that surround you, the lessons learned this gardening season, and information gleaned from the garden column.
Amy Stone is an agriculture and natural resources educator with the Ohio State Extension – Lucas County. She writes weekly on gardening, and welcomes questions and comments at stone.91@osu.edu.
First Published November 22, 2022, 1:00 p.m.
