Fall planting tips for Seattle's green thumbs

State of play: Autumn favors roots over shoots, so anything planted now establishes quickly, local gardening journalist Erica Browne Grivas tells Axios.

What they're saying: "Plant, plant, plant," said Grivas, who shared her fall priorities with us.

• Sow cover crops such as fava beans or crimson clover to "fix" nitrogen and build soil for spring.
• Tuck in lettuce, arugula and bok choy for fall salads; kale and collards to carry you into winter.
• Nab tulips, daffodils and snowdrops now before the best picks sell out. Mix varieties to stretch bloom time and feed pollinators.
• Pounce on nursery sales. Trees, shrubs and perennials are often discounted now.

Catch up quick: September is also for picking produce at peak and banking seeds for the future, says Grivas.

• Snip tomatoes once you see a warm blush at the base, then finish ripening indoors to dodge cracking and critter nibbles.
• Refresh tired containers with violas, ornamental kale, grasses or heuchera.

• Add a layer of wood chips to lock in moisture, buffer temps and enrich soil as it breaks down.
• Bring in your tender plants.

Yes, but: Leave the leaves. Removing them can cut spring emergence of butterflies and moths by about 35%–45%, per Grivas.

• Instead, rake thick mats off the lawn and use leaves on beds, in a corner or in compost.
• And skip the fall "clean-up." Hollow stems and brushy bits are winter shelter for wildlife. Wait for spring to cut perennials back.

What's next: Do the light work now, then pull out the catalogs and settle in for winter and visions of spring.