With fall underway, the last thing on most of our minds is springtime. But for gardeners, springtime preparations never stop—even during autumn. If you want your garden to flourish next year, it’s time to get started on these tasks now. And let’s face it, there’s no garden that flourishes quite as beautifully as Martha Stewart’s.

We spoke with Stewart about the fall gardening chores that will help prepare your garden for spring.

1. Fall Cleanup

If there is one task that Stewart says is most essential every fall, it’s cleaning up and “putting your garden to bed.”

“When I say put to bed, I mean that some things have to be wrapped, some things have to be pruned carefully, so that snow and ice ….. doesn’t break the branches,” Stewart explains.

Cleaning out the summer debris from your garden is one thing, but don’t forget to make moves to protect your garden from the winter season, too. “Fall cleanup is essential for a healthy, beautiful garden in the springtime,” Stewart says.

2. Get Bulbs in The Ground Early

Spring planting actually starts in fall. In order to bloom, bulbs must establish their roots during autumn so they can undergo a period of cold temperatures in winter. Plan out where your bulbs will go now, and get them in the ground quickly.

“Plant fall bulbs for spring or summer blooms,” Stewart says. “Lilies, tulips, daffodils, crocus, hyacinths—any of those kinds of things should be put in the ground before the ground becomes too frozen to work.”

This year, Stewart has a favorite bulb she’s working with before spring arrives. “I love lilies. We have a big shipment of lilies coming, and so I’m [putting] many, many, many more lilies in on top of the thousands I already have. We are constantly adding to our collections.”

3. Don’t Stop Your Fertilizing Routine Right Away

Set up your garden for success next year by continuing to fertilize your shrubs, lawn, and trees. “I feed and nurture as much as I can, every single plant in my garden. I’m constantly, constantly feeding,” Stewart says.

For fruit trees, Stewart recommends a slow-release fertilizer that saves you time in the garden. “We use these wonderful fertilizer sticks for my orchard … You hammer them into the ground, and they are time-release, and they will feed those trees all through the next few months. And what a difference it makes in fruit production and leafing out of the trees in the springtime!”

Slow-release fertilizers can remain beneficial through mid-fall—especially those that are designed to stimulate root growth rather than leaf growth.

4. Remove Plants That aren’t Performing Well

Fall is the time to decide which plants aren’t working well in your garden. Remove them now so you’ll have space for new plants come springtime.

Determining which plants should be replaced, Stewart says, is simple. “You can see it. Your plant has lost its leaves early, it’s looking weak, it hasn’t performed well this year—and that can be a disaster for a gardener! So you have to be very careful about watching, feeding—maybe that plant has had its lifespan, and you should get rid of it and plant something in its place.”

5. Keep Up (and Supplement) Your Compost Pile

While your garden might not be as active during fall, your compost pile certainly should be. Stewart advises saving your scraps and boosting your compost pile by other means, too.

“It’s very important to use the vegetable matter that’s in your kitchen, and save that and layer it with a little bit of lime and a little bit of fertilizer and try to make your own compost,” Stewart explains. This turns your food waste into productive nutrients for your garden.

But scraps aren’t the only thing to think about during fall. “Most households don’t have enough waste or leftovers to make a ton of compost,” Stewart says. Instead, you should consider purchasing enriched compost.

“Buy the bag from Scotts Miracle-Gro. You can buy raised bed organic soil, which is also very good to redo and top-dress a lot of your gardens,” she explains. Besides using it in your garden directly, you can add it to your compost pile so you have enough material to work with come spring.

Martha Stewart Says These 5 Fall Garden Chores will Help Your Garden Thrive in Spring by Sophia Beams | Better Homes & Gardens