Planning Your Fall Garden Beds
As summer begins to loosen its grip, the garden speaks in signs: cracked soil, run off channels, faded foliage, and the quiet resilience of plants that endured. Fall isn’t just a planting season—it’s a chance to observe, repair, and reimagine. In this post, I’ll walk you through how I assess summer wear and tear, prep my beds for fall crops, and design with resilience in mind.
Observe the Summer Aftermath
This was a wild summer, not something we have seen in a very long time so before you reach for seeds or compost, take a moment to listen to what your garden is telling you.
Soil Texture: is it compacted? Powdery? Crusted over? Did the rains wash away organic matter in certain areas?
Drainage Patterns: if you have an in-ground bed, did the rains early in the summer change any of the drainage? How did your rain barrels hold up? Do you need to add another barrel to the system or was your current system able to hold up?
Plant Fatigue: were your plants able to hold on in the areas that you had them? What was your production yields and do you think they could have been better had you placed the plants elsewhere?
Microclimate Shifts: did your garden experience any structural changes this summer? Heavy rain and storms often reshape the landscape.
If you lost a tree, shrub, or even a large limb, you may now have increased light, changed wind exposure, or new water flow patterns.
Has the canopy thinned, revealing sun-hungry zones that used to stay shaded?
Are formerly protected areas now exposed to intense heat or cold?
We lost a large hackberry tree last winter, and the northeast corner of my backyard transformed from “mostly shady” to full sun—a reminder that gardens are dynamic, not static. Noting these shifts now helps guide thoughtful replanting and long-term design.
Everything Else: are there pockets of sun exposure, unexpected shade or altered wind flow? A loss of even one branch can change a tree’s damping effect. Northern storms this winter may hit your garden differently than in previous years.
Prep the Soil for Renewal
After months of stress, your garden soils need a little tender loving care.
Before adding new compost or prepping for seeds, start by removing spent plants — think of it as clearing the canvas before painting again. Depending on your garden style and you are not wrong whichever way you decide, you can either pull dead crops or snip them at ground level. I tend to cut, leaving the roots in place to feed the soil and protect the life already thriving below. Especially during a season when recovery and resilience matter, gentleness goes a long way.
Gentle Soil Loosening—With Purpose While I recommend cutting spent plants at ground level to preserve root structures and avoid disturbing our hardworking earthworms, that doesn’t mean we leave compacted soil untouched. Instead, I opt for light loosening—using a hand fork or broad fork around open areas to gently aerate without tearing up what’s already working underground. Focus on the spots between root zones, or areas where heavy rains may have caused crusting or compression.
Add organic matter—which I had better define. Organic matter is any once-living material in the soil that's in the process of decomposition. Think fallen leaves, compost, plant roots, worm castings, manure—it’s the nutritious buffet that feeds your soil’s microbial web. This is the good stuff that improves your soil structure, boosts the fertility of the soil and helps with water retention in the soil.
Test your pH—I tested soil pH all through school, so I know how it works—but I rarely pull out the kit in everyday gardening. That said, pH testing can be a gentle entry point into garden chemistry, especially if you’re prepping beds for brassicas or garlic, which appreciate specific ranges. You don’t need lab equipment—just a simple test kit from the nursery will do. But here’s my advice: don’t let the numbers rule your garden. You’ll learn just as much by observing your kale thrive or your garlic struggle. Compost, mulch, and thoughtful observation will take you far.
Lay Out Your Planting Strategies
You want to design with intention. My fall garden isn’t just a planting plan—it’s a pantry in progress. Rooted in the old Scottish idea of the “kailyard,” a humble cabbage patch tended beside the home, my gardens lean into what we cook most: salads, stews, and nutrient-rich meals that warm the bones and keep the season resilient.
I start my designs by asking simple questions:
What do I crave when the evenings turn cool?
Which herbs do I reach for most?
What vegetables make their way into my broth pots or grain bowls?
From these answers, I plan the beds accordingly. I rotate crops so that ‘friends are with friends’ and plants are not in the same place as last year, especially if they did poorly there. Feel free to use containers also. They’re still a garden and you can tuck more into them than you think you can.
Planning with the Weather in Mind As fall deepens, the air shifts—and so does the behavior of your garden. Northern storms may sweep through with wind, rain, and the occasional cold snap. Now’s the time to quietly note your garden’s exposure
Are there pockets that trap cold air in the morning?
Which beds sit in the wind path when a front blows in?
Are your greens and seedlings in low troughs or exposed corners?
I don’t sound the alarm—I just keep a folded frost cloth in the shed and a few clips by my raised beds. That way, when the temperature dips and the wind picks up, I’m not scrambling; I’m ready.
You don’t need a full armor of row covers or cold frames. Just awareness. Just a rhythm. My Kailyard teaches me not only to plant what we need—but to protect what we’ve grown.
