What Autumn Teaches Us About Letting Go—and Preparing for What Comes Next

“Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go.” — Anonymous

There’s something about this time of year that makes you want to slow down and take stock.

The days are getting shorter. The leaves are beginning to change. The garden that was so full of life just a few months ago is winding down, and there is a certain rhythm to the work of putting things away.

Fall is about letting go of the season that’s ending while laying the groundwork for the seasons to come.

That makes it one of my favorite times of year to spend a little extra time outside. Gardening in October isn't just about harvesting the last of what you've grown or cleaning up what is finished. There are still things to plant, prepare, and protect now that will reward you later.

So this week, we’re sharing a few simple fall tasks to help you wind down the previous growing season, prepare for winter, and get a jump start on next year.

Plant Garlic

Fall is one of the best times to plant garlic here in Ohio. Start with high-quality seed garlic, either saved from your own garden or purchased from a local farm or trusted garden supplier.

One thing to skip? The grocery store garlic.

Many grocery-store garlic bulbs are treated to discourage sprouting, which can affect how well they grow in your garden. They also aren't necessarily certified disease-free, so starting with quality seed garlic is a better choice for the health of your soil and future crops.

To plant garlic, separate the cloves from each bulb and plant them pointy-side up, about two inches deep and four to six inches apart. Cover them with compost and a thick layer of mulch, then water thoroughly.

After that, there's not much to do. Once the fall and winter rains arrive, nature takes over. In the spring, you can begin fertilizing every few weeks, and with a little patience, you'll eventually be harvesting your own garlic.

Plant it now, and roughly nine months from now, you'll have a crop you can use in the kitchen, save for planting, or share with a friend.

Start Putting Your Garden to Bed

Once the bulk of the harvest is in, it's time to start putting the garden to bed for winter.

Begin by pulling out annual crops that are finished producing. Healthy plant material can go into the compost pile, but diseased plants should be removed rather than composted so you aren't carrying those problems into next year's garden.

As you clear each bed, take a few minutes to pull weeds, remove fallen or rotting fruit, and put away the things you won't need over the winter—stakes, trellises, plant supports, garden markers and ties.

It might not feel like exciting work, but you'll be grateful for it when spring arrives and you're starting with a clean slate.

Fall is also a great time to add finished compost or well-aged manure to your garden beds. Cover the soil with a couple of inches of mulch, such as straw, shredded leaves or wood chips. Keeping the soil covered helps protect it from erosion, insulates overwintering crops like garlic, and adds organic matter as the mulch breaks down.

And don't forget your tools.

Give your pruners, shears, shovels and hoes a little attention before putting them away. Remove dirt and plant debris, sharpen blades where needed, and store everything somewhere dry and protected.

A little work now can make next spring much easier.

There Are Still Things to Plant

Of course, garlic isn't the only thing that can go into the ground this time of year.

Fall is also the season for planting spring-flowering bulbs. Tulips, daffodils, crocuses and hyacinths all benefit from being planted before the ground freezes.

There's something particularly satisfying about planting something in October that you won't see bloom for months.

You put it in the ground, cover it up, and wait.

For a while, it looks like nothing is happening.

But underneath the soil, the work has already begun.

Maybe Our Homes and Our Lives Work the Same Way

It's easy to think of the end of the growing season as simply an ending. The garden is emptying out, the harvest is winding down, and the beds that were bursting with life just weeks ago are beginning to look bare.

But fall is full of beginnings, too.

The garlic we plant now will become next summer's harvest. The bulbs we put in the ground now will become next spring's flowers. The compost we add today will help create healthier soil tomorrow.

Maybe there's a lesson in that for us, too.

Not every season is meant to be a season of producing. Sometimes the work is simply to harvest what we've grown, let go of what has reached its natural end, and prepare for what comes next.

That idea feels especially fitting here in Dayton right now—not just in our gardens, but in our housing market.

The Dayton market has been going through its own season of transition. According to Realtor.com, September brought a significant increase in available inventory across the Dayton area. Active listings reached 2,012 homes, up 29.1% from the year before. At the same time, the median list price was $244,363, down 2.3% year over year, and nearly 28.5% of active listings had a price reduction.

For buyers, that means more choices and, in many cases, more room to negotiate than we've seen in recent years.

For sellers, it means preparation matters.

A home doesn't have to be perfect to sell, but today's market rewards homeowners who take the time to prepare their property, understand their competition, price thoughtfully and make a strong first impression.

Nationally, we're seeing a similar shift. Realtor.com reported that active inventory was up 5.5% year over year in September, while 20.8% of listings received a price reduction—the highest monthly share since October 2022.

NAR's latest data also shows that buyers are gaining some negotiating power as inventory grows. In August, existing-home inventory reached 1.62 million homes, representing 4.9 months of supply, the highest level in more than a decade.

That doesn't mean the Dayton market has stopped moving. It means the market is changing.

And just like the garden, knowing what season you're in matters.

If you're thinking about buying, fall may give you an opportunity to slow down, look carefully and make a thoughtful decision rather than feeling rushed.

If you're thinking about selling, this can be a valuable season to prepare. Take care of the little things you've been putting off. Clean up the landscaping. Finish that project. Declutter the rooms. Think about what a buyer will see when they walk through your front door.

You don't have to do everything at once.

Sometimes you simply need to start preparing for the next season.

A Final Thought

Autumn has a way of reminding us that change doesn't have to be something we fear.

The leaves let go.

The garden rests.

The harvest is gathered.

And beneath the surface, the next season is already being prepared.

Whether you're putting your garden to bed, planting garlic for next summer, getting your Dayton home ready for the market, or simply taking a little time to think about what's next, there's something comforting about knowing that an ending can also be the beginning of something new.

So enjoy this season.

Slow down.

Take stock.

Let go of what has run its course.

And plant a few things for the future.