With just a little more than two weeks of official summer left , it’s that time of the year again when we must start thinking about preparing our gardens for winter and PurposeFall planting. The summer has been wonderful and it is sad to watch my beautiful plants fade with the season, but there are so many great things you can do for you garden this time of year! Here’s the purposefall planting I’m doing with my garden beds this fall.

Cover crops are a great way to protect and rejuvenate your soil before planting your garden next spring! Cover crops are crops grown where you aren’t currently growing other things, such as substance crops. They are often used to protect garden beds over winter. These crops work to prevent erosion, help with soil aeration and water retention, and increase the nutrient content of soil. They also contribute to an overall healthier garden ecology by attracting pollinators and providing habitat for beneficial wildlife, insects, and microbes. You can even sow cover crop varieties together to maximize the benefits! Cover crops can also be grown around your substance crops, to help retain moisture and prevent erosion. Here are a few types of cover crops to consider employing in your garden!

Mustard Greens – and other members of the Brassicas family can be a great cover crop because the contain glucosinolates, which can help to control nematodes. To maximize the benefit of glucosinolates chop small and immediately incorporated into the soil.

Lupine – Like other members of the pea family, is known for nitrogen fixing. It’s not only very beneficial to your soil, it’s also an extra beautiful cover crop to use.

Radish – Daikon or Tillage Radishes are a great cover crop because they not only help to fertilize your soil, they also act to aerate it. This can be especially helpful for amending sandy, loamy, and dense clay soils.

Clover – Crimson Clover is a fast growing member of the pea family, making it great for a quick boost of nitrogen to your soil. It’s deep red blossoms are also a pollinator favorite.

Alfalfa – breaks down into organic matter quickly and contains a hormone called Triacontanol. Triacontanol increases root growth and photosynthesis, and is a food source for beneficial microorganisms. So alfalfa not only improves the health of your soils, it also improves the health of your plants.

Beans – like Fava and Cowpeas(Black-eyed Peas) make a great cover crop because they require very little. Planting at least 6 weeks before the first frost in your area means you can also harvest a crop of beans before winter sets in. If you are earnestly trying to fix nitrogen however, it is best to cut back the plants just before they bloom.

You can find a selection of seeds that make great cover crops here.

Sowing Perennial Flowers

Many perennial flowers and wildflowers require a period of cold weather to stimulate spring germination. This is called cold stratification. Fall is an ideal time for sowing these flower seeds.

Echinacea – Sow echinacea in the fall 6 weeks before freezing temps, so that plant has time to establish roots. Or wait until after the first hard frost and these seeds will germinate in the spring.

Salvia – Sow salvia 10-12 weeks before the first frost in the fall. The end of summer heat helps germination while the cooling fall temps stimulate the plant to put energy in to growing strong roots.

Blazing Star – Blazing star requires exposure to moist soil and cool temperatures to germinate and will do best when planted outdoors in late fall or early winter. Sow directly in well-drained, average soil and full sun. Seeds require light and moisture to germinate.

Lupine – Sow in late fall or early winter to get a jump start on spiring blossoms. Lupine have a tough seed coat. Scoring or sanding the seed coat, or soaking seeds for a day before planting can help increase germination rates.

Flax – For earlier blossoms, sow seeds in a well-prepared bed in late fall so they can experience the winter cold cycle. Cut back tops by 1/3 after flowering to encourage a second set of flowers in the fall. Very drought tolerant once established.

Poppies – Sow poppies in fall prior to first fall frost for early spring blossoms. Poppies germinate best in cool weather and well drained soil. They bloom profusely in cooler growing conditions, and can rebound in the fall after summer heat. They tolerate poor soil and light drought.

You can find our flower seed selection here.

I’m growing my cover crops now so I’ll be able to cut them back a few weeks before the first frost. I can sow my flower seed directly into the cuttings, so they’ll have a protective mulch for the winter. Fall sowing feels an awful lot like planting my hopes and dreams for spring to carry me through the long, cold, dark of winter. So here’s hoping! Happy purposefall planting friends.