Putting the Garden to Bed

There’s a certain kind of peace in a fall garden. The harvest is mostly in, the air’s gone crisp, and the work slows down to something gentler — clearing, cutting back, and covering up. Our grandmothers knew this rhythm. You don’t just walk away from a garden when summer ends; you put it to bed properly, the way you’d tuck in a child, so it wakes up strong come spring.

This is unhurried work, and that’s the gift of it. A cool Saturday, a good pair of gloves, maybe somebody’s music drifting out the kitchen window. Do these few things before the first hard frost and your soil will thank you next year with richer beds and stronger blooms. Here’s how to send your garden off to rest.