CORVALLIS, Ore. - Come spring, excited gardeners drive to nurseries, load up their cars and go home to plant. That's tradition. But fall planting also ranks high as a time to put plants in the ground.
Nurseries may not be as jam packed with plants in fall, but as more people push to plant in autumn, garden stores are bringing in more stock at the end of summer.
"For trees, shrubs and perennials fall is a great time to plant," said Weston Miller, Oregon State University Extension Service horticulturist. "If you plant mid-September through mid-November, the soil is warm and gives plants a long time to establish. And once rains start, people don't have to water them as much as plants installed in spring."
Assuming that it's an average winter and not getting really cold really early, that establishment period is important because plants concentrate on root development in fall and that's what you want, Miller said. But before planting, it's necessary to prepare the soil.
"The trick as always is to prepare the soil well in advance," Miller said. "That means clearing away annual weeds and dealing with difficult-to-control perennial weeds like bindweed and quack grass."
Dig weeds out by the root. If your soil is dry, pre-water to make it easier to remove them.
For perennial weeds, consider using an herbicide, which Miller said is the most effective way to deal with persistent weeds. September is an effective time to apply it when weeds are still visible and sending sugars to their root systems; the herbicide effectively travels down with them.
"Weeds are a total bummer in the landscape," Miller said. "If you don't deal with them upfront, they will be an ongoing problem. Judicious use of an herbicide in a planned way creates long-term outcomes. If you don't want to use an herbicide, you'll need to remove as many roots as possible."
Next, it's time to add compost. Miller recommends topping the soil with compost and digging it in as deeply as possible. For terribly compacted soil, you may want to rent a mini-excavator or hire a professional. By hand, dig in 3-4 inches of compost 6-8 inches deep. With an excavator, mix in 8 inches of compost down to 2 feet.
