Fall Vegetable Garden Hygiene

Fall is creeping up quickly and there are many things to be done to wrap up gardens before winter strikes. Much has been said about not doing fall cleanup in perennial beds because pollinators need the debris for habitat and reproduction. However, that is not the case in vegetable beds. Fall cleanup is essential to mitigate the spread of disease and control the proliferation of harmful insects.

Once vegetables are done producing, remove the plants. Remove the entire plant including all leaves, roots, and the stem. Any portion left in the garden can be a source for future problems.  Make sure to look carefully and harvest any fruit that was hiding. If the plants are not diseased, they can be composted as long as the compost reaches an appropriate temperature to control any stray weed seeds.  However, if disease was present, bag or burn the plants. Things like tomato blight, squash powdery mildew, and bean anthracnose or leaf spot should not be put in a compost and potentially proliferated into the next season. Spores from bacterial and fungal disease will remain in the soil waiting to infect new plants next year.  Ideally, cleanup work in the garden will be done on a sunny, windless day. Wet windy days can spread bacterial and fungal spores.

While working in the garden, be sure to do a final weeding.  Any weeds left in the fall will certainly go to seed and leave a fine crop for the following season.  An ounce of prevention in the fall will yield a pound of prevention for the future. A single common lamb’s quarter (Chenopodium album) plant, for instance, can have up to 70, 000 seeds per plant, 32 percent of which are still viable after 20 years even after being buried. 

These precautions apply whether the vegetables were grown in ground, in community gardens, in raised beds, or in containers.  However, container gardens need some additional work.  Containers can be a source for disease if not properly cleaned at the end of the season.  Remove dirt and debris and clean them with hot soapy water.  Disinfect them by soaking in a 10 percent bleach solution for 10 minutes when practical.  If this is not an option, use a disinfectant wipe to coat all surfaces.

The last, but a very important task to complete is a to clean all tools, stakes, and cages. Like skilled professionals, gardeners should work with clean tools. Don’t neglect things like tomato cages and stakes. They can be a source of disease if not cleaned from year to year. Keeping the tools clean is as important in keeping soil borne diseases at bay as keeping the garden clean.  First clean all dirt and debris from tools and other items used in the garden. After a strong spray of water has removed the large particles, use a wire brush if necessary to complete the job. Either wipe them with a disinfectant wipe or soak them in the same 10 percent bleach solution mentioned earlier when cleaning containers. The best management practice is to clean a tool before you store it for the season. While working through this process, take the time to sharpen and oil tools as well so that they are in peak condition for the next season.

With a little care, gardeners can rest and be ready for another exciting garden season next year.

Carol Shirk

Certified Master Gardener

Photo: Oklahoma Cooperative Extension