Watch CBS News

Experts: Take Advantage Of The Weather And Begin Fall Gardening

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Tuesday was the first full day of autumn and experts say the perfect time to clean up your lawn and fall into gardening.

Volunteers have been hard at work sprucing up Dewitt-Clinton Park on Manhattan's West Side, swapping brown plants for hearty shrubs that will thrive this fall.

"It's pretty easy to dig up," Deniham Hospitality Group's Kevin Guerra told CBS 2's Elise Finch on Tuesday. "If we waited a little longer it would probably be a lot harder to do."

This project was planned for late September because at that time the soil is still easy to manipulate and new plants have a chance to get acclimated before the first freeze.

"They should be able to retain water a little bit better in the soil that they're in in this type of weather," said Hannah Gail of Partnership for Parks.

Gardeners said early fall is the perfect time to clean out a withering garden. And for most people that starts with cutting.

"Things you can cut back are perennials, things that will come back next year," agricultural scientist Justen Beneduce Hiles.

Experts say if you have plants in your yard that are brown and the leaves are completely brittle, it's time to cut them back.

"Take all this dead stuff out, cut it all the way back down to the ground. All the energy is stored in the roots down there," Beneduce Hiles said. "They'll have enough energy in them to store over the winter, so they'll push back out new growth for next year."

Beneduce Hiles, the manager of Great Swamp Greenhouses, said once you're finished cutting and clearing your garden you can introduce fall friendly plants like asters, marigolds and mums – or start a fall vegetable garden.

"Kale, cabbage, broccoli … these are all really fresh things that will withstand the cool nights that are coming up,' Beneduce Hiles said.

Vic and Maureen Albagli of Berkeley Heights, N.J., were recently shopping for mums and ornamental cabbage, and said they couldn't wait to plant them.

"Get the place looking in tip-top shape," Maureen said.

"It makes it look like a picture postcard," Vic added.

Experts say with a little work your yard or garden can look like a picture postcard, too, or at least be better prepared for next year. One thing you should not do in early fall is prune trees. They suggest leaving that for winter or early spring, when the tree is dormant.

You May Also Be Interested In These Stories

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.