Module 13: Cleaning Up and Starting Over

Hi everyone. Well, I realize this module is a bit late coming, and many apologies for that. However, since it is the last part of this journey into the wondrous world of home food forests, I didn't want to rush it--and much more importantly, I didn't want anyone here to rush into a fall garden clean up!

I've been reading with much interest many new papers and articles on pollinator habitat and overwintering patterns. And for the past several weeks, I've been following my Kristina's monarch butterfly saga unfolding in her tiny DC urban garden.

So…after much reflection and research, my advice to you regarding fall garden clean up is twofold:

Start as late as possible
Do as little as possible

And whatever you do, go gently…

Now, if the cooler weather has you motivated to do a full garden bed build, I will admit fall is the best time to do it. There’s a WEALTH of free resources out there from now until the first big snow —-leaves!

Also, after fall prunings, your local arborists will practically be giving away mulched wood chips. And don't forget to check your local city or town government webpage--they usually have a pick-up location where you can get all the black gold resources you need for free.

Here's a clever way to use the bags from a leaf and wood mulch drop to shade out grass and then cover it with organic matter (above).

(Below) A recap from Module 2:Black Gold on leaf decomposition and How to Make a Sheet Mulch. Refer back Module 2 for exact guidance and a list of where to find resources. Or, simply rake up all your leaves into a pile over your garden beds, add some compost, and be done!

Either way, late fall is really the best time to make a big mulch pile. Be sure to add scoops of microbe rich soil from your garden or from under a tree or shrub. The pile will have plenty of time to be digested over the winter and will shelter countless beneficial little critters.

For the simple joy of it, here is a beautiful testament to how a small home scale food forest can be a boon to a much wider world. That tiny white dot on the leaf below (top right) is a monarch butterfly egg--one of our most critical and endangered pollinator species.

More eggs appeared. Then caterpillars, then chrysalis. Kristina waited, camera ready. And then…!