2026 Fall Garden Season Is Upon Us: Early Tasks To Perform.

I declare that the second gardening season is upon us starting this weekend. I don’t see a temperature much above 80º for the next two weeks and the nights are in the upper 50s and mid-60s. While Labor Day usually kick starts the season, it is really based upon temperatures. Cooling and cooler temperatures mean less stress and lower inputs are needed to keep the garden happy, and work done now and in September gives gardens plenty of time to establish before Winter.

• Planting – Nurseries are starting to stock up on plants for the Fall season. This seems to get bigger every year as people realize Fall planting gives plants the cooler and wetter Fall as well as the Spring to root and get established before the heat in the following season. For native plants, it has always been the best season. I have mentioned this before, but source your plants from reputable nurseries who grow properly or  source their materials form quality growers. Cheaper is not better. Cheap plants at box stores or non-traditional retailers often come from nurseries that are driven to grow plants quickly and cheaply, and this means heavy use of fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides, which you are now bringing to your garden and ecosystem. Steroid plants will often have challenges.
• Plant Division – While late summer is a good time for Daylillies, Iris and others, Fall is typically the best time to divide perennials, especially Spring flowering perennials so they have time to establish before the next flowering season. This is the easiest way to get more of plants you like, rejuvenate plants that seem tired, and provide neighbors and friends some of your favorite plants. I just dug a bunch of plants that I will contribute to a Plant Swap we do in our town.  If you live in Winchester, haven’t been before, and would like an invite, please send me an email.
• Soil Testing – One of the most cost-effective things you can do in your garden, and I do this with many of my clients. Do you have beds or plants that aren’t thriving, does your lawn always look bad, do certain areas tend to have disease or insect challenges? A soil test will often reveal what is wrong. Just throwing fertilizer or insecticides on these areas may be making the problem worse. UMass Soil Lab makes it easy to understand what might not be right.
• Premature Leaf Drop – You may have noticed lots of leaves dropping early.  Some of this is from stressed trees after multiple years of drought periods. More often than not this year, it is Tar Spot Fungus on our Maple trees, mostly Norway Maples. While the fungus is not a real problem, it happens when we have moist Springs followed by hot and dry Summers. Not a real concern other that all the leaves falling early.  Best to rake up and dispose, but not necessary. Additionally, with another drought this Summer, I am already seeing some early color on trees that are stressed. If you notice this or have larger plants exhibiting stress, it is a good time for a one-off deep watering. For bigger plants this can mean 4, 6, 8 hours of a slow stream of water, depending upon the size. I am more than happy to offer an assessment and provide watering guidelines.
• Lawn Care – Take advantage of this early window to fix and overseed your lawn that was stressed by the hot and dry summer.  If you want a traditional lawn, look for some of the newer  varieties that are heat and disease resistant and contain Tall Fescues. Jonathan Green has some excellent mixes. Check out this UMass Turf Fact Sheet. If you want a lawn like appearance and don’t want to go the big meadow route, there are many options, depending upon your light conditions, that require fewer inputs (water, fertilizer, and mowing). Lot of native grasses and sedges are low, can be mowed a few times a year and you can create a mix of warm and cool season grasses that will grow in Spring, Summer, and Fall. There are so many ways to decrease your lawn, but keep an orderly appearance.

One last comment. This summer has seen extreme growth in fogging/spraying for Mosquitos and Ticks. Everyone has seen it as an opportunity to make money on the back of fear, and some have dedicated businesses to this issue.  I wrote about this in June, if you want more details, but it is an unmitigated disaster. People are providing treatments and they have no idea about the destruction.  Depending upon the product, these products kill indiscriminately. I offer other choices in the linked article..