Your Fall Gardening Checklist for Zone 8b

Preparing Your Garden

Autumn is perfect for improving your garden soil. Take advantage of the changing seasons; remove lower-performing summer crops and weeds. Once the soil bed is cleaned out and free of any nutrient-stealing plants, you can work on re-nourishing your soil. Incorporating thick layers of compost or fertilizer into your soil will replenish the nutrients lost during the summer gardening season.

Mulching the soil is also an excellent idea to protect it from the climate while regaining its nutrients. Wood ashes, which contain essential nutrients, can be placed as a top dressing.

Ideal Crops for Zone 8b

If you are new to gardening, utilize local nurseries to learn more about ideal crops. Here in Kitsap County, WA, we are in Zone 8b, which has the right fall temperatures for hardy vegetables. Choose seeds based on their maturing time to ensure you can harvest your crops in time.

If you’d like to see a quicker return on your hard work, salad greens, bok choy, lettuce and arugula typically mature within 40 days of planting. Furthermore, kale, radish, and turnips take just a little longer to mature, around 55 to 70 days. Lastly, plants that take almost 100 days to develop are beets, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots and onions. Foresight is imperative during this time if you want to harvest a variety of vegetables and greens all at once. 

Maintenance Through Fall into Winter

You’ll want to keep an eye on your garden for any pests that become more active this time of year. Even though the colder weather will keep some pests away, the rain provides the damp climate that slugs, snails, and other pests love.

While you are enjoying the fruits of your labor, remember to keep in mind preparations for the winter. As mentioned earlier, mulching your beds for the winter will extend your soil’s lifespan. Other season extenders such as a cloche, cold frames, and hoop tunnels will allow your plants to continue thriving despite the frosty winter weather.