It's time to clean up the garden. This is an important part of the annual planting process because many garden pests can overwinter in garden debris. At this time of the year, many insects have come to the end of their adult lives and many have probably laid eggs, which are quietly hiding in debris. Some adult insects (Colorado potato beetle, flea beetles) can also overwinter underground. Insect larvae and plant diseases can also overwinter. Your efforts now can prevent many problems in the coming year.
First, get rid of the big items. Pull up garden stakes, rinse off, and store. Next, take out all spent plants and compost, or if diseased, burn. Then rake up all debris. Trim back perennial herbs (not roses) and remove broken or diseased branches. If you are dealing with an empty planting bed, tilling is a good idea. Tilling will bring insects and larvae up to the surface where they are more susceptible to colder temperatures. If your area has not turned colder yet, you may want to wait until temperatures drop some. If the bed has perennials, take a hand cultivator and till around the base of the stems to rid the area of insects. for bare plots, a cover crop is recommended. This will protect the organic matter and nutrients in the soil from getting washed away by wind, rain and snow. Annual rye grass does not put in as many nutrients as some of the others, but it is hardy and will improve the soil texture when tilled into the soil at springtime.
Another great but indirect way of keeping away unwanted insects is to keep feeding the birds in your yard. This will attract many types that will scour your garden plots for larvae and insects.
