MOSES LAKE — 2026 is at that awkward stage; the days are still almost summer-warm, but the nights are beginning to get chilly. That means there’s a lot to accomplish before winter comes howling to our door.

“It’s time to start cleaning up your garden,” said Columbia Basin Garden Club President Valerie Parrott. “Spent annuals, most vegetable plants, tomato plants, it’s time to pull them up … It’s time to start harvesting your carrots, too, and dig your potatoes. You don’t want your potatoes to freeze.”

It’s also a good time to weed, according to the WSU Extension, and mulch, paying special attention to any bare spots. Weeds in the lawn should also be removed before they go to seed. The whole plant can and should go in the compost pile.

A few things can be left behind, Parrott said, including pumpkins and other gourds.

“I leave my sunflowers up all winter so the birds can eat the seeds off them,” she said. “I also leave a little bit of leaves and stuff around for ladybugs to hide under. Bumblebees and ladybugs need a little bit of ground cover.”

Watch for diseases on the plants, particularly powdery mildew, which is especially common in the Basin because it thrives in dry climates, according to the WSU Extension. As the name would suggest, it appears as a white powdery growth on the leaves and plants that show signs of it should be kept away from the compost, Parrott said.

“If you’re getting them on your tomato or cucumber plants, you won’t want those spores going into your compost pile,” she said. “You can reintroduce powdery mildew the next year if you put it in the compost.”

Once the plants are out of the way and the garden is mulched, it’s time to turn to put away the hoses and sprinklers. Any plants left in the garden won’t need the amount of water they did during the summer, if they need any at all. Disconnect the hose and get an insulated cover on the outdoor spigot before the freezing weather sneaks up on us.

“I’ve said, ‘Oh, I’ll leave it until it gets a little cooler,’” Parrott said. “And then sure enough, you’ll get some ice.”

Finally, clean up any containers that you might need to use next year. A cleaning solution of one part bleach to 10 parts water is sufficient to clean and sanitize the containers, according to the WSU Extension.

Fall is the time to plant bulbs that bloom in early spring, according to the WSU Extension. Be sure to mark where you planted them so you know where they are. Mid-October is the ideal time to plant daffodils and tulips, Parrott said. Garlic can wait until the first week of November.

The compost can be used to cover up the plant beds for the spring. Tarps are an option, Parrott said, but not one she recommends, partly because of the risk of microplastics leaching into the soil.

“I just put (compost) on my bed rows,” she said. “I’ll put a couple of inches of it on top of my soil where I’ve just dug stuff up, and in the spring I’ll come back and till that all together.”

If you’re going to use low tunnels, you’ll want to get the parts that go into the ground set up now, so as not to be battling frozen ground in the springtime, Parrott said.

The last thing to do is order next year’s seeds, and then take stock of what worked and what didn’t.  Then sit back and enjoy the feeling of satisfaction.

“Fall and harvest time is a really great time to celebrate the victories that you’ve had in the garden this year,” Parrott said.

    When pulling up plants to clean out the garden, make sure to get the whole plant, roots and all.
  

    Powdery mildew is a plant disease that thrives in dry climates like ours. If you find plants with a powdery substance on the leaves, put those straight in the trash rather than composting them.