Preparing for Your Initial Frost: Essential Autumn Yard Duties

Ready, Set, Fall Garden! A Preparation Guide for the First Frost

Oh yards, oh gardens! The temperature is dropping, and it's time to prepare your outdoor haven for the changing season. If you're in a state with distinct winter weather, you know that the initial fall frost is just around the corner. But what about your beloved garden? Don't worry; we've got your back with a list of tasks to help make the most of your remaining harvest while setting the stage for a flourishing next season.

So, What's a Fall Frost?

The average first fall frost date depends on your location and climate. For your zip code, check out this handy weather guide. That's when it's usual for your lows to dip into the 30s and near the freezing point. Bye-bye to all your summer crops, hello to frost-tolerant, cool-season plants.

Here's a list of tasks to tackle about a month before your anticipated first frost. This garden clean-up before fall won't disappoint.

Prune Tomatoes

Yep, you read that right. While it's an unusual chore for a fall garden, if you're still growing tomatoes that bear fruit, it's worth a shot — especially if you have indeterminate tomatoes still hanging onto the vine. Cut the top off right above the tallest green fruit to get the plantto focus on ripening the remaining tomatoes on the vine. This could potentially lead to a bumper crop of tomatoes before frost takes over.

Add Compost to the Garden

Let's be real; I'm just as lazy as the next person when it comes to composting in the summer. I usually toss garden debris into a pile as I go. This leaves you with a mix of bigger pieces on top and smaller, more decomposed pieces at the bottom. Time to take advantage of this! Add the bigger pieces to a compost tumbler or separate bin for further decomposition throughout winter. The smaller compost can then be added to ground or raised beds in the fall. The benefits are aplenty:

New organic matter continues feeding beneficial microbes in the soil as they break down.
Summer seeds that didn't die off in the process will sprout and then die in the freeze.
The compost has a chance to blend with the soil naturally prior to spring planting.

I've found this simple process results in amazing yields the following year.

Harvest Basil

Here's a tip from my garden to yours: harvest all your basil before the frost threatens. Usually, I aim to get this done before the lows reach the 40s at night, as even non-freezing temperatures can affect the basil leaves. I dehydrate basil for the year, make basil pesto, and freeze it. If your basil has blossomed, however, it's still worth trying as the quality of leaves may not be the best, but it's better than nothing, right?

You can also pinch cuttings and root them indoors for fresh basil all year long. It's a fantastic way to bring a bit of the garden feel into your home and kitchen.

Prep the Garlic Bed

Garlic is the last crop to be planted during the season, and most of the time, we aim to plant around the first fall frost. Still, garlic is pretty chill, so if you're a few weeks before or after is fine. But before planting, the location needs to be prepped. First, decide on the space for the garlic patch. Keep in mind that you'll need to house garlic until mid-summer, depending on your location. An ideal location to plant garlic is a space that holds frost-sensitive crops. After pulling out the current crops, add a fresh layer of compost — about an inch or two — to the space. This is beneficial anytime you transition a bed for new crops. Plus, I like to plant my garlic when there's rainfall on the forecast, so I can prepare the space ahead of time and be ready to go! Learn more about planting garlic here.

Harvest Beans for Seeds

If you plan to harvest beans either for eating or for seed saving, do it before the first frost hits. The goal is to allow the pods to fully dry out. Get 'em before they start opening and dropping the seeds onto the ground. This is an excellent task right before frost kills the bean plants.

Plant Spinach

I adore planting spinach about a month before my first frost. Spinach thrives in colder temperatures; planting early during the fall when the soil is still warm can prevent the seeds from sprouting. Instead, plant later once temperatures have cooled a bit. Spinach will grow for a short time before the daylight hours dip below 10 hours per day. After that, it needs a break until the days grow longer again. Assuming all goes well (and depending on your climate), you'll harvest your fresh crop of spinach in late winter. In my Zone 7 garden, spinach is usually the first harvest — usually in February.

Eliminate Shade

Sunlight is precious in the fall months, and overgrown crops from the summer can sneakily block the light for your freshly planted fall crops. If you have a plant that's grown out of control in the summer, consider strategically trimming branches and leaves that will allow more sunlight to reach your newly planted fall produce. Even crops that tolerate shade need all the sun they can get at this time of year.

Trim Herbs

The best time to harvest herbs (following spring) is about a month before your first frost. Go ahead and trim any perennial herb you plan to overwinter outside, leaving only about a third of the plant. This allows the plant time to recover before winter, reducing stress and the risk of diseases. I personally trim my plants and dehydrate the leaves for spices, teas, you name it.

If you found this list helpful, don't forget to check out my free download for seasonal tasks you can do in your garden year-round.

Happy gardening!

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Free Resources

Find helpful tools for your garden journey:

When to plant garlic in the fall
Free Seasonal Task List
To make the most of your garden before the first fall frost, consider planning for cool-season plants and preparing your garden beds with compost.
Don't forget to harvest basil, garlic, and beans for seeds before the frost, and plant spinach and spinach seeds to enjoy a fresh crop in late winter.
As you prepare for the changing season, take some time to eliminate shade and trim herbs, leaving only a third of the plant to allow for recovery before winter.