As the season comes to a close and we finish harvesting the fruits of our labor consider vegetation management.
Leaving residual vegetation, leaves and stems of the plants that produced fruit and vegetables in our gardens also leaves harborage and safe places for pest insects and pathogens to overwinter.
Some insects like plant bugs lay their eggs inside of plant leaves and the last generation spends the winter as eggs. Leaving those leaves is an avenue for these pests to reach your garden early in the season.
For many of these leaves we can either remove them and dispose of them in organic waste or compost piles away from the garden. These can also harbor pathogens as well. It’s a really helpful benefit for your garden to remove them from your space if you have restricted area for gardening.
