Should You Remove Plants from Garden Beds in Fall? A Winterization Guide

Garden beds, whether raised or in the ground, overwinter well with some care. Don’t leave them bare, and protect them from the cold so their soil stays healthy and alive. They benefit from insulation during the cold months. 

Removing all the plants from the beds leaves your garden exposed to the elements. Holes in the soil let frost penetrate the ground, and exposed beds are subject to erosion from frequent rainfall. Without protection, the beds will need more work to grow healthy harvests next year. 

So think twice before you remove plants from garden beds this fall. Consider leaving them, cutting them, or composting them. Plant matter is a valuable resource, and organic matter is beneficial for living soils. The fewer plants you remove from your garden beds, the fewer soil amendments you’ll have to add in the future. 

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Should I Remove Plants From Beds in Fall?

You shouldn’t remove plants from garden beds in the fall! Let annuals decay in place, and protect perennials with mulch so they overwinter well. Avoid leaving bare soil, and cover up your beds with compost, fallen leaves, or leaf mold to insulate them through the fall and winter seasons.

The soil is alive, and plant roots help build that underground life. While they’re alive, they foster beneficial bacteria and fungi that work with plants to create nutrient-rich, absorbent soil. When they decay, they further boost microbial life and contribute humus to the soil food web.

Winterizing Garden Beds

There are, of course, some exceptions. It’s generally a good idea not to remove plants from beds in fall, unless they’re diseased or you’d like to bring them indoors for the winter. Otherwise, let the plants decay in place, or cut their tops off to let the roots break down underground. 

Let Plants Decay

The easiest thing to do is simply leave plants be. Don’t cut them, chop them, or pull them. Don’t even look at them! Okay, just kidding, you can look at them.

If you’re a lazy gardener like me, you’ll love this trick. The dying plants get smothered in snow, rain, and ice during the fall and winter. In spring, little remains of the old plants. There may be a few standing sticks, though most of them will have decayed into humus.

When you choose not to remove plants from your beds in fall, you create habitats for overwintering wildlife. Insects, spiders, and other critters use hollow sticks to hide in through the cold months. Others overwinter under the cover of mulch, and leaving plants be will help them thrive without disruptions.

Remove Diseased Plants

You do want to remove diseased and pest-riddled plants from the garden. Certain conditions, like powdery mildew and cankers, can overwinter on diseased debris. It’s best to remove it and dispose of it in a safe way to avoid the spread of pathogens.

Bury diseased debris away from the beds, and cover it a foot deep underground. The thick layer of soil will snuff out the pathogens. Or, hot compost the waste in a controlled system. Hot compost kills diseases and weed seeds using high temperatures, and it’s a perfect solution for recycling diseased debris. 

If you lack outdoor space for these solutions, you may throw the plant matter away in your green-waste bin. Some cities have recycling programs that convert organic waste into compost and soil amendments. If you lack a green-waste program, throw the debris in the trash as a last resort. 

Cut the Tops Off

Perhaps you dislike the way dead plants look in your beds. If this is the case, you can clean the garden and help the soil over the winter at the same time. Simply snip the tops of the annual plants, and leave the roots to decay underground. 

Instead of pulling the plants, snip their tops and let the roots decay in place. You may place the cut tops on top of the soil to break down, or move them to your compost for further decomposition. 

I like to use this method with my bean vines from the summer. Pole beans reach astronomical heights, and I don’t want those vines hanging dead over the winter. I cut the vines off and compost them, and I leave the bean roots in place so they decay in the beds.

Leave Seed Heads

Seed heads are ornamental! They add texture and structure to the fall garden with unique shapes and interesting forms. It’s better to leave them be than to remove them. If they’re still standing in the spring, you may cut them down to prepare the way for fresh growth.

Seed heads are beneficial for wildlife. They house nutritious seeds that squirrels, birds, and other small critters eat over the fall and winter seasons. Without them, many of the local wildlife in your region will go hungry!

If you’d like to use seed heads as an attractive feature of your garden, consider growing perennials and annuals with large seeds that stand out in the landscape. Grow coneflowers, zinnias, and black-eyed Susans to start, as they have large, attractive seed heads that make an impact in the garden throughout the fall. 

Many annuals reseed themselves, if you let them! Simply let the seeds fall to the ground, and don’t remove the seedlings that sprout. Let them thrive, and leave them standing next fall for another free round of flowers. 

Overwinter Tender Plants

The other exception to the rule is for frost-tender plants. You’ll want to overwinter your tender specimens in a safe space so they survive the cold months. Don’t leave them in the cold, or they’ll turn mushy and brown after a frost or hard freeze.

The fall season is a great time to begin the overwintering process. Remove plants from the beds in fall by digging them out with a shovel or hand trowel. Dig around their roots, then dig underneath them to lift the plants out of the ground.

Choose where to overwinter your plants based on their growing preferences. Different plants thrive in different conditions. Those that grow in warm temperatures year-round will prefer the indoors or a greenhouse, while those with seasonal growth habits perform better in cool rooms, cold frames, and garages. 

Some specimens will survive outside with protection. Add plenty of mulch to their beds, and cover their tops with frost cloth on cold nights. You don’t have to remove all of them! Use your best judgment to determine which will need extra protection and which will thrive indoors. 

Key Takeaways

• Most plants will fare well if you leave them in place for the winter. You don’t need to remove all plants from your beds in fall. Annuals will die and decay, while perennials will enter dormancy underground.
• If you’d like your annuals to reseed themselves, don’t remove them from the beds. Let them reseed naturally.
• Decaying plant matter is incredibly beneficial for the soil! Leave plants be, or snip their tops and let their roots decay.
• You may safely remove diseased and frost-tender plants from the garden. Dispose of diseased plant matter safely, and bring tender specimens into a warm location for overwintering. 

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