When most people think about gardening, they picture spring: planting seeds, turning the soil, and watching little green shoots push through the earth. But here on the homestead, I’ve learned that fall garden prep is just as important if not more important than the work we do in spring.

This past year was my first season planting in our new garden, and I’ll be honest: it struggled. I didn’t test my soil, I didn’t know what I was working with, and I simply planted to see what would happen. Some plants grew, but others produced small fruit or seemed to drag along all season. Add in a strange summer with a late frost followed by sudden 80-degree heat, and my plants didn’t know which way was up.

But gardening is all about learning. And what I learned this year is that healthy soil is the foundation of a healthy garden. So this fall, I’m doing the work to prepare for next year, and if you’re starting a new garden, or if your plot struggled like mine, I encourage you to do the same.

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Why Prep in Fall?

When you prep in fall, you give your garden a head start. Adding compost, planting cover crops, and addressing soil issues now allows nutrients to break down and settle into the ground over winter. By the time spring arrives, your soil will be healthier, your weeds more manageable, and your plants better equipped to thrive.

On our land, I’ve noticed another challenge, erosion. Our garden sits in a spot where heavy rains tend to pull nutrients downhill, washing away what my plants need most. That’s one of the biggest reasons I’m adding cover crops this year. A thick stand of rye, clover, and root crops helps hold soil in place, locks in nutrients, and feeds the ground instead of letting it wash downstream. It’s a layer of protection and nourishment that spring alone can’t provide.

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Steps for Preparing Your Garden Before Winter

1. Till (If It’s a New Plot)

If you’re starting a garden for the first time, a fall tilling helps establish your plot. Even if you plan to move toward a no-till or no-dig method in the future, breaking up the ground once helps you loosen compacted soil and create a workable space. Be prepared for weeds, though tilling brings seeds to the surface. Weed pressure is often highest in the first few years of gardening.

If your garden is already established, you can skip this step.

2. Add Compost

Compost is the backbone of organic gardening. This fall, I’m spreading a layer of organic compost about ¼–½ inch thick right on top of my garden. Yes, even over weeds like creeping Charlie and crabgrass. The compost will enrich the soil, encourage microbial life, and begin feeding next year’s plants before I even plant a seed.

If you don’t make your own compost, check with local farmers, landscapers, or municipalities. I’m fortunate to partner with an organic farmer down the road who provides me with beautiful compost I trust.

3. Plant a Cover Crop

This is my first year experimenting with cover crops, and I’m excited. I’m planting a very heavy seeding of winter rye mixed with a diverse cover crop blend that includes clover, turnips, peas, and brassicas. Here’s why:

• Winter Rye: Rye grows dense and tall, shading out weeds and preventing erosion. It produces natural allelopathic compounds that suppress weeds like Canadian thistle. The key is to terminate it before it grows taller than 18 inches or begins to set seed, otherwise it can become weedy itself. In spring, I’ll weed-whip it, then lightly till or rake it into the soil so it decomposes into organic matter.
• Clover: Clover is a nitrogen fixer, adding fertility back to the soil. It also breaks down quickly once it’s incorporated, giving plants an early nutrient boost. Its roots loosen and aerate the soil.
• Brassicas and Root Crops (turnips, mustard, radish): These plants send down strong taproots that help break up compaction, improve drainage, and pull nutrients up toward the soil surface.

👉 Here’s the exact cover crop mix I’m trying. It includes Austrian field peas, wheat, triticale, clovers, mustard, daikon radish, hairy vetch, and more. I’m adding winter rye to this mix for extra density and weed suppression.

After terminating and lightly tilling your cover crop in spring, that is the time to take a soil sample. A soil test will tell you if any nutrients are still lacking, and you can add amendments then before planting so your garden gets exactly what it needs for the season ahead.

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Fall Garden Prep Checklist

Here’s a step-by-step list to help guide your fall prep:

1. Remove spent plants — Clear out old tomato vines, bean plants, and anything that won’t survive frost. Compost healthy plants, discard diseased ones.
2. Take notes — Write down what grew well, what struggled, and any issues like erosion, standing water, or heavy weed pressure.
3. Till once (if new ground) — Break up soil to establish a garden plot. Skip if your beds are already established.
4. Spread compost — Lay ¼–½ inch of compost evenly across the soil surface.
5. Sow cover crops — Seed winter rye and your chosen mix heavily. Rake into soil surface and water lightly once. Fall rains will do the rest.
6. Plant garlic — Now is also time to plant garlic. We plant our in our raised beds so the don’t interfere with cover crops. When they are ready to harvest in july will be perfect time to plant fall carrots in the same bed!
7. Rest the soil — Let your garden sleep under the cover crops all winter.
8. Spring step — Terminate the cover crop before it sets seed, lightly till it in, then take a soil sample and add any amendments your garden needs before planting.

Why It Matters

By doing the work now, you set your garden up for success next year. Instead of leaving the soil bare, you’re feeding it, protecting it, and letting it rest with intention. Fall prep may feel like an added step, but it’s one that pays off in healthier soil, stronger plants, and fewer struggles down the road.

When spring arrives, your ground will already be balanced and alive, ready to nourish your seedlings. The effort you put in now becomes the foundation for bigger harvests and a more resilient garden season after season.

I’m learning right alongside you, and I can’t wait to see how these steps transform my own garden next spring. Here’s to healthier soil, fewer weeds, and more abundant growth.