What fall practices get my vegetable garden ready for spring?

Fall comes every year in the 4 season garden. Preparing for spring gardening can start in the fall after everything has been harvested. Why not save yourself a little work by taking care of these tasks in cool weather? Use these fall gardening tips to get your vegetable garden spring ready.

Save those seeds

Save as many seeds and bulbs as possible from this years' vegetable crop. Why waste money on seeds next spring when you likely plant the same vegetables each year? One ear of corn will yield enough seeds for the entire garden next year. The same is true for most vegetables. Just save the seeds from one piece of produce per vegetable type and variety.

Bring it in

There are some plants that actually survive quite well indoors and can regrow in the spring. Why not save a little cash by experimenting with potting up some vegetables to grow indoors this fall? I'm told that tomatoes are actually a perennial plant when grown in warmer climates. Think about a greenhouse for winter storage as well.

Scrape it off and dump it out

Collect all that expensive mulch you purchased for the garden in the spring. Bag it up into plastic garbage bags to use next year. Dump out all the pots that held annuals right into the garden. These add to the soil and organic matter for the spring garden. Don't forget to remove the seeds to avoid unwanted spring growth.

Plow it under

Once any residual seeds are thrown away and perennial bulbs are dug up for replanting, plow those garden plants under. Why waste this valuable organic matter by throwing plants in the trash? You can compost it, but I prefer to turn my entire garden into a compost pile over the winter months. Use a rototiller to chew up those plants and work them at least 6 inches into the garden soil.

Compost it over

Spread the entire compost pile over the garden and till it again. Work all that good organic matter in and chop it up as fine as possible. Add some leaves from raking the yard. Then start the compost you will use in the spring after the last yard raking. By the time the spring sun is upon us, this can be worked right into the garden too.

Winter wheat

Once the garden is completely tilled, consider growing some winter wheat. What is winter wheat? This is not a crop for eating but one that makes even more natural fertilizer for the spring garden. Winter wheat is a mixture of seeds like rye that will grow in early spring. These grasses make great fertilizer when planted in the fall and tilled into the spring garden.