Garden Clippings 2016 Vol. 36:7

• Beat the spring rush! Fall is a good time to have soil tested to determine if liming is needed to raise soil pH (most New England soils have low pH). Low soil pH affects nutrient availability to the plants. Applying lime now allows sufficient time for soil reactions to occur too correct acidity levels for the next growing season. For information on how to take a soil sample and submit it to the Soil and Plant Nutrient Testing Laboratory website:
• Start a compost pile. You can start a compost pile using disease and insect free plants material. Don’t include weed plants laden with seeds because, even though some seeds will be killed during the composting process, those that survive will create a weed problem when used in planting beds next year. Grass clippings and fallen tree leaves can be included in the compost pile. Locate the compost pile on a level area with good drainage, partial shade, and protected from strong winds which can dry and cool the pile.
• Plant fall lettuces and greens. Lettuce and other salad greens grow and thrive in cool temperatures. They develop best quality when grown under cool temperatures and moist conditions. These conditions prevail in spring and fall. Most leafy greens are generally direct seeded, but lettuce, kale and Swiss chard can be transplanted. To produce good quality transplants, plant seed indoors about 4 weeks before transplanting.
• Start fall clean up. Fall cleanup will help with the success of the garden next spring. Plants and weeds left over going into the winter can harbor diseases and insect pests. Harvest all useable vegetables and annual flowers. Remove dead annual plants and weeds. Leftover disease free debris can be tilled into the soil, where it will decay and enrich the soil with organic matter. Clean up perennial beds.
• Harvest fruits as they ripen. It is important to harvest fruits at the right stage of maturity in order to maintain quality and freshness. Color, size, flavor and ease of separation from the spur are good indicators of maturity and ripeness. Avoid bruising the fruit during harvesting. After harvesting, set fruit in the shade and refrigerate if you intend to store for some time. Keep fruit in bags in the refrigerator to reduce loss of moisture.
• Remove dropped fruits around crabapples and other fruit trees. Removing the dropped fruit from the ground helps to reduce insect and disease carryover. Dropped fruits can harbor disease pathogens and insect pests such as apple maggot. Rake and remove all dropped fruits and compost or destroy them. These sanitation practices will reduce disease incidence next year.
• Select and prepare a site for spring flowering bulbs. Late fall is the best time to plant hardy spring flowering bulbs. Preparing the soil properly for planting bulbs is very important. Good soil drainage is essential in growing bulbs. If the soil has a high clay content, add an organic amendment such as compost or plant in raised beds. If the soil is mostly sand, add an organic amendment to increase water and nutrient holding capacity.

Written by: Geoffrey Njue, UMass Extension Specialist