Planting the Plains: More Benefits in Dormancy

By Anthony Reardon

Published November 29, 2025 at 7:00 AM CST

At the end of the season, it can be tempting to clean up your entire garden of all detritus from old plants, but leaving the seed pods, plant stems and other materials can have some benefits, and this week, we'll talk about how to make dormancy work for you!

Tags

Planting the Plains Planting the Plains

Anthony Reardon

Anthony Reardon is the Horticulture – Small Farms Extension Agent for Johnson County, Kansas.

See stories by Anthony Reardon

HPPR Features

Planting the Plains: Cleaning Your Lawn Tools for Winter

Anthony Reardon

You use them all year long to help tend your garden, so why wouldn't you take care of them, and make sure that they can take care of you? I'm talking about your lawn tools, of course, and this week, we'll talk about how you can clean and store yours for the winter!
HPPR Features

Planting the Plains: Acclimating Houseplants

Anthony Reardon

Most of us like to give our plants a treat during the warmer weather, and so we'll bring them outside to soak up some extra sun. But of course, the weather will cool again at some point, and the process of moving a plant indoors and outdoors should be done with some consideration of how the conditions will be changing. We'll talk about a few things to think about in this week's episode!
HPPR Features

Planting the Plains: Noting the Learning Moments

Anthony Reardon

At the end of the season, it's never a bad idea to spend some time reviewing what worked for you and what didn't, and actually making some notes on which varieties overproduced or disappointed you. You won't necessarily remember in future years, and over time, this practice will give you a fair bit of data points on which to help base your future research. We'll talk more about how to keep track of this information in this week's episode!
HPPR Features

Planting the Plains: Composting Leaves

Anthony Reardon

Well, it's that time again, and while no one loves raking the leaves, they do give you some great organic material for your garden, if you bother to handle it properly. This week, we'll review some easy steps to follow in order to get your leaves to turn into good humus, to make the best fertilizer for your spring garden.
HPPR Features

Planting the Plains: Fall Fruit Tree Maintenance

Anthony Reardon

We're just seeing our first frosts, and now can be a great time to do a bit of pruning on your fruit trees. While it won't make as much difference this year, you can make a difference in preventing disease, as well as ensuring water for the tree over the winter, and also by helping it to survive over the winter. We'll talk more about what you can do in this week's episode!