Fall 2026

Harvest sweet potatoes, winter squash, and luffa before the first freeze — don't leave them in the ground once temperatures threaten

Check sweet potatoes by gently digging around the edges; once leaves yellow and die back, it's time

Cut summer crops to the ground but leave roots in place to decompose — for large plants like tomatoes, cut at the base and let them dry before pulling

Add 2–4 inches of compost to cleared beds, then direct sow fall vegetables: carrots, radishes, a mix of lettuces and greens, and sugar snap peas near a trellis

Set out brassica starts now — broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts — while soil temperatures are still warm enough for establishment

These are best started from seed in July/August, but nursery transplants set out in September do well

Plant garlic: separate healthy heads from your last harvest, or source cloves from a farmers market, nursery, or even the grocery store

Plant snapdragons, foxglove, and lupine from starts, or start seeds indoors now for fall transplant

Direct sow your fall cut flower bed: poppies, nigella, orlaya, forget-me-nots, cress, larkspur, bells of Ireland, corncockle, bachelor buttons, and Dara

Check seed packets — some need light to germinate (scatter on top of compost); others get a light covering of shredded leaves or animal bedding. Cornflower is best started indoors.

Mow fallen leaves and layer the shredded material into beds — the cheapest compost you'll ever have. Break up herbaceous material that's died back and add it on top to protect beds and slowly decompose over winter

Visit nurseries for end-of-season clearance plants — trees, shrubs, and perennials that look rough now will take root over winter and thrive come spring

Plant spring-blooming bulbs: prioritize varieties that naturalize and return each year — daffodils, narcissus, muscari, crocus, allium (Drumstick, Gladiator, or Millennium), and naturalizing tulips

Hybrid tulips often decline after the first year in Georgia's heat. Naturalizing varieties spread and multiply — the better long-term investment.

Plant peonies with eyes facing up, set shallow — the eyes need to experience freezing temperatures to bloom come spring

Finish any pruning of woody plants — shrubs and trees — before mid-October. Pruning stimulates new growth, and you don't want tender growth heading into hard freezes

Cut peony foliage all the way back and discard it — do not compost. Same for any diseased plant material

Leave most of the garden standing through winter: seed heads feed birds, hollow stems shelter native bees, and leaf litter protects the soil

Build simple hoops over tender plants and have frost cloth or old sheets ready — prioritize covering when temps drop below freezing for long stretches and multiple consecutive days, not just a few cold hours overnight

Leave old growth on perennial grasses and herbaceous plants to insulate the crown through hard freezes

Pot amaryllis and paperwhite bulbs now for winter blooms — they take 6–8 weeks from potting to flower

Stagger potting every 2–3 weeks for a longer window of continuous bloom through January

Cut back watering significantly as daylight shortens — let the soil dry more fully between waterings and always check before adding water

Move plants away from cold windowsills where nighttime temperatures can drop sharply even with the heat on

Mist leaves regularly or group plants together to maintain humidity as indoor heating dries the air

Before bringing any outdoor plants inside, inspect thoroughly — check undersides of leaves and the soil surface for pests