Weekly Green Tip: Clean Up Season 🧹

http://eepurl.com/jsg9roView this email in your browser (*|ARCHIVE|*) RESERVE YOUR SPOT! (https://communityfoodscapes.org/products/permaculture-design-certificate) CLEAN UP SEASON November 18th, 2025 How many colors can you count? This native witch-alder is giving us the full fall palette and everything the season is all about. But the fall season isn’t just for the pretty colors… With leaves dropping and perennials fading back, we all get a calm window to clean up, regroup, and prep for the sometimes overbearing, wave of tasks that spring brings. To show what this season of cleanup can look like in action, below are a few recent CoFo projects we've been working on. We picked out some that involve phased work to keep the landscape evolving in the right direction. Oftentimes these jobs start with a reset button, and just below is a good look at that. When an area is left alone without monitoring, the unfortunate truth is that invasive species are primed to take hold. Invasive species frequently exhibit rapid germination, high dispersal capacity, and competitive growth strategies that make it easy peasy for them to outcompete our native vegetation that volunteers itself. BEFORE AFTER Next up, what was once an overgrown thicket is now nurtured into a secret woodland retreat. Our team did some careful clearing of invasive underbrush to open up the forest floor. In a newly cleared woodland like this, you may start seeing native species such as ferns, asters and violets emerge on their own. These can sprout from the native seed bank of long-dormant seeds and root pieces lying in the soil, waiting for enough light and reduced competition to begin growing again. BEFORE AFTER Lastly, we have a site that we’ve highlighted in the past, and we’ve just finished another phase with the space. This property began as a nearly impenetrable mass of kudzu, completely smothering the ground layer and suppressing all native regeneration beneath it. After clearing the invasive vine and reopening the soil profile, we installed a robust dry creek to improve the stormwater flow that the client was having troubles with. We laid coco coir erosion-control matting on the banks of the creek bed and seeded it with an annual rye grass, which provides quick cover to stabilize the soil, suppress weeds, and prevent erosion while the coir slowly decomposes into organic matter. As the rye fades out and the coco coir enriches and holds the soil together, both create ideal conditions for our natives to be seeded and nurtured. BEFORE AFTER AFTER PART 2 AND REMEMBER! For the rest of fall, all CoFo consultations are half off! The cold weather is quietly the best season to make big landscape moves. Roots keep growing long after leaves drop, low soil temperatures reduce stress on new plantings, winter rain keeps everything hydrated, and pests take a break. This is also the perfect moment to start planning for the busy spring and get expert eyes on that tricky corner of your landscape. Cooler weather = peak planning season, and we’re here to help you make the most of it. Book now and let’s build next year’s landscape while nature is on your side. CLICK HERE TO BOOK WITH US! (https://communityfoodscapes.org/pages/consultation) BEAUTYBERRY SAVINGS! WHY WE LOVE IT AND MORE The berries. Neon-purple clusters that hang out through fall and light up shady spaces. Birds like catbirds and cardinals go nuts for them. Native roots. Beautyberry is a true Southeastern native, naturally found from Maryland down through Florida and west to Texas. It thrives along woodland edges and in open woods. Some history: Indigenous communities used the roots and leaves in traditional teas, and both they and early settlers rubbed the crushed foliage on their skin (and livestock!) to repel mosquitoes. Thrives in tough spots. Dry shade, sandy soil, clay, woodland edges… beautyberry is extra resilient. Wildlife-friendly. Flowers for pollinators, berries for birds, and great cover for small wildlife. Quick stats: 4–8 ft tall and wide. Part shade to sun (more sun = more berries). Drought tolerant once settled as a Southeastern U.S. native. CLICK HERE FOR BEAUTYBERRY (https://communityfoodscapes.org/collections/plants/products/beautyberry) https://facebook.com/communityfoodscapes/ https://instagram.com/communityfoodscapes https://communityfoodscapes.org mailto: Copyright (C) *|CURRENT_YEAR|* *|LIST:COMPANY|*. All rights reserved. *|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|**|LIST:DESCRIPTION|**|END:IF|* Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences (*|UPDATE_PROFILE|*) or unsubscribe (*|UNSUB|*) Community Foodscapes · 848 Oglethorpe Ave SW · Suite 115512 · Atlanta, GA 30310 470-600-2636 · cofo.info@gmail.com · www.communityfoodscapes.org https://www.communityfoodscapes.org/