Yes! You can plant up to six weeks before the ground freezes. I'm sure you're thinking, "that's great but how do I know when the ground will freeze?" This can vary from year to year but most years, in northeast Iowa, it's safe to plant until about mid-October. So you've planted your tree, shrub, or perennial, and are asking yourself "now what do I do?" After planting it's important to water everything well. Watering after planting gets rid of all the air pockets in the ground and ensures your plant's roots make good contact with the soil. Now here's the good part about fall planting. In a typical year (if there is such a thing in Iowa), you should only have to water a few more times up until the ground freezes. This is much less than what's required for spring or summer plantings. While you need to water less in the fall, It is still important that plants, shrubs, and trees go into winter with adequate moisture. If we have a dry fall like in 2017, it's up to you to provide the moisture the plants need. Plants are living things so there's never a guarantee they will survive no matter when they were planted. In addition to adequate moisture, there are lots of other factors that influence a plant's survival. Providing your fall plantings with adequate moisture going into winter is one thing you can do to help your new plants get off to a healthy and happy start next spring!

When you leave grass clippings on your lawn, they help to retain moisture and feed your lawn. For grass clippings to be able to filter down into your lawn and do their work, they need to be 1" long or less. If the lawn hasn't been mowed regularly or it's been mowed when wet, the grass clippings form clumps that block air and sunlight and are NOT beneficial to your lawn. If this happens, either bag the lawn this time or mow over the lawn multiple times with a mulching mower to break up the clumps and allow the grass clippings to filter down into the soil where they can do their beneficial work!