Is fall a good planting season?

September 24, 2024

Fall is officially just around the corner! It seems like summer does not want to end! Is fall a good planting season? Everybody likes to decorate their porch or patio for fall. What can we do now?

Even though we have not yet had a killing frost, it’s been a long season for the annuals. It’s been hot and dry most of the summer. Some plants suffer from the heat and are just tired, some have powdery mildew, and some are just leggy. People think they should wait for a frost and then clean out all the annual containers, but there is still time for the flowers and your porch pots to look great. Mix the plants in with your other decorations. You can have color until almost December.

Pansies and Violas are the main annuals for fall planting. They prefer the cool weather. They can take frosts and still bloom! You get your money’s worth when you plant them in the fall as they will bloom all fall, periodically through the winter, and burst out in spring! Also, Snapdragons, Ornamental Cabbage & Kale are all good fall choices. Some plants like Fall mums, chili peppers and rudbeckias do well in the fall, but you need to cover or bring them in if we get frosty nights. They can be put back out when temperatures regulate for a while. Many perennials are great for fall colors like Asters, Heuchera (Coral Bells), Sedums, and grasses. Most garden centers will have these plants in stock now too.

If I am planting now do I need to treat them any differently?

No, you will need to transplant them like any other time of the year. Prepare the soil by adding peat moss, but not compost if you are planting pansies or violas (they are sensitive to ammonia which can be given off in the composting process). You will need to water them, then check the watering carefully for 2 weeks. When it’s cooler they may not need to be watered every day, only when the surface looks dry, or of course if they wilt.

Then after a couple of weeks, they should be rooted out and you can water them as needed. But if you put them in containers, they might need to be watered every day depending on the location and temperature. This is the harvest season, and natural elements make great decorations and are trendy – like Wicker or bushel baskets, gourds, corn stalks, burlap, hay, etc.