Okay, gardeners. We can see the finish line. It’s been a busy gardening season, but we are almost ready to wrap things up for the year. Almost.

October and November are the wrap it up, clean it up months. Now’s the time to give the last of your withering vegetable plants the heave-ho.  

I know there is still one tomato out there, but it’s a brick. Let it go. Toss healthy plants on the compost pile and bag and trash the rest.  

Are you one of those garden daredevils who cheat the season with late plantings of cool weather crops? Good for you. Just be ready with frost protection such as floating row covers or a deep layer of straw.

Cut back any perennials that had serious disease or insect problems, but leave the rest standing to provide food and shelter for birds and overwintering pollinators and beneficial insects.  

Mums have sensitive crowns – the part where the roots and stems meet– so treat them gently. After their fall show, leave them standing to increase their chances of coming back. Not all hardy mums are hardy. 

Use leaves as mulch around trees and shrubs and in your vegetable and flower beds. Use a fine layer on your lawn and toss the rest in your compost pile. 

Collect fallen branches to start a brush pile for wildlife. Put larger pieces on the bottom and smaller ones on the top to create cover and resting places for creatures great and small. 

Yes, you can still sneak in some bulbs. Remember to plant them three times as deep as they are wide. In other words, a 1-inch daffodil bulb goes into a 3-inch hole.  

You can plant trees and shrubs until the ground is frozen, too. Earlier is better to give roots a chance to get established. Just make sure you water them deeply every week. 

Here’s a fact sheet that tells you how to plant trees and shrubs and lists plants that are best planted in the spring. 

Also deep water any tree or shrub you planted earlier this year to send them into the winter well-hydrated. Water until we get a ground-penetrating frost, usually around Thanksgiving.   

Want a live Christmas tree? Save yourself some colorful language by digging the planting hole now before the ground freezes. Drop in a few unopened bags of mulch to avoid losing Bowser or any holiday guests in there. 

We’re almost to the cuddle up with cocoa season. Taking care of these few last-minute garden tasks will let us smile and sigh under the afghan, reveling in a job well done.  

By Annette Cormany, Principal Agent Associate and Master Gardener Coordinator, Washington County, University of Maryland Extension.

This article was previously published by Herald-Mail Media. Read more by Annette.