After months of heat and heavy growth, the season of transition has finally arrived. Whether you're in a region winding down toward frost or one that's just hitting its stride, fall is the time to reset your Garden Tower and prepare it for the months ahead.

Depending on your climate, that might mean cleaning out summer crops and letting your tower rest, or refreshing your soil and jumping straight into another round of planting.

Cooler zones (USDA Hardiness Zones 3–8) experience regular frost and freezing temperatures that last through winter—think much of the Midwest, Northeast, and mountain regions. Warmer zones (Zones 9–11) rarely see frost, and the soil stays workable year-round.

Below you'll find two paths: one for gardeners in cooler zones where freezes are common, and another for warmer zones that can keep producing through fall and winter.

For Cooler Zones: Winterizing and Protecting Your Tower

As daylight shortens and frost begins to creep in, the goal shifts from production to protection. A little extra care now will help your tower's living system rest safely and bounce back strong in spring.

Clear Out and Refresh

Start by removing spent summer plants and clearing the compost tube. Trim any lingering stems and check for pest or disease issues that could carry into next season. Add a few inches of fresh compost or worm castings to the top of the soil and mix lightly to restore nutrients and improve airflow.

Empty the compost drawer and pour that nutrient-rich liquid back into the tower for one last feeding. It's a simple step that recycles nutrients and strengthens the soil food web before dormancy.

Care for Worms and Insulate the Tower

Red wigglers can survive in near-freezing temperatures, especially with about eight inches of soil insulating their compost tube. For most mild-winter climates, your worms will be fine with just a little extra protection. In very cold regions, you have a few options:

• Relocate to a bin: If you live in an area with harsh winters, temporarily move your worms to a cozier home. Remove the compost from the tube and transfer it to a medium-sized rubber bin lined with browns (like shredded paper or leaves). Add some kitchen scraps and cover with straw or more browns before putting on a lid with air holes. Keep the bin in a garage or any dark place that won't freeze. The worms will munch through winter, and you can return them to the tower in spring.

• Add insulation: A simple clear plastic trash bag or tarp over the tower seals in heat while still allowing light through. For added warmth, move the tower closer to a building wall—structures retain heat better than open spaces and can transfer some of that warmth to your tower.

• Bring it indoors: If you have space and lighting, move your entire tower inside to keep growing year-round. Stop watering for about a week beforehand to make it lighter and easier to move.

Keep the interior lightly moist but not saturated—excess water can freeze and harm the worms.

Add a Winter Cover Crop

Even if you're not growing food through winter, sowing a few hardy cover crops can help. Cold-tolerant legumes like clover, winter rye, or vetch protect the soil surface, prevent erosion, and restore nitrogen for next season.

Let It Rest

Once your tower is cleared, insulated, and fed, you can let it rest. The soil organisms will continue working slowly beneath the surface. When spring arrives, you'll uncover soil that's alive, balanced, and ready to grow again without starting from scratch.

For Warmer Zones (8–10): Keep Growing and Feeding Your Soil

In mild-winter regions, fall is far from the end. In fact, it's often the most rewarding time to garden. With cooler nights and soft, steady sunlight, plants root deeply and thrive without the stress of summer heat.

Transition Out of Summer

Cut back lingering warm-season plants like tomatoes, peppers, and squash that have slowed production. Clear out the compost tube, empty the drawer, and give the soil a lift with fresh compost and a well-rounded organic fertilizer (particularly if you grew a lot of heavy feeders).

Direct Sow and Transplant

Fall planting in Zones 9 and 10 is all about greens and roots. Direct sow lettuce, spinach, leafy greens, arugula, radishes, carrots, and peas. Transplant seedlings for brassicas, that you either started earlier or can find at a local nursery.

If you've been chilling garlic or onion sets, plant them now. Place root crops in the inner pockets of the tower where soil moisture stays stable, and use the outer pockets for quick-growing greens that can be harvested through winter (spacing out larger plants by at least a pocket or two).

Worm and Moisture Care

Worms in warmer zones don't require relocation, but they still benefit from consistent moisture. Keep the compost tube damp and avoid letting the tower dry out completely. Evaporation slows in cooler weather, so water lightly and regularly rather than deeply and infrequently.

If a rare cold snap arrives, a simple, clear plastic cover will hold warmth and protect both plants and worms without limiting airflow. A thick layer of mulch certainly helps protect from these cold snaps and has almost no downsides in this season.

Feed and Rebuild Your Soil

Fall is the best time to build up long-term soil health. Mix in biochar or worm castings to strengthen structure and stretch nutrients through the cooler months. You can also tuck a few nitrogen-fixing plants like peas or beans into open pockets to naturally feed your soil.

For anyone looking to experiment with a living mulch, try sowing clover, alfalfa, or a low wildflower mix. These covers germinate easily in cool weather and create a self-sustaining system that nourishes soil, invites pollinators, and adds beauty to your tower.

Keep Pollinators Active

Even as your vegetable crops change, keep a few flowering plants going. Calendula, alyssum, violas, and native wildflowers like California poppy and clarkia do beautifully through mild winters. Sprinkle the seeds on the surface, press them in gently, and either water lightly or let seasonal rains do the work.

Wrapping Up

Preparing your Garden Tower for fall and winter doesn't have to mean shutting it down. For cooler zones, it's about protecting your living soil, insulating the worms, and letting the tower rest. For warmer zones, it's about composting, refreshing, and planting into the mildest and most enjoyable growing season of the year.

Wherever you garden, a little time spent now feeding the soil, caring for the worms, and adjusting to the rhythm of your climate will keep your tower thriving long after the first frost or the first rainfall.

FAQs

When should I start preparing my Garden Tower for fall?

Begin preparing your Garden Tower in early to mid-fall—around the time daytime temperatures start dropping and summer plants slow their growth. This timing helps you transition smoothly between growing seasons and gives your soil and worms time to adjust.

Do I need to stop using my Garden Tower in winter?

Not necessarily. If you live in a cooler zone, you can let your Garden Tower rest and protect it through the winter. In warmer zones, you can continue planting cool-season crops right through fall and winter .

How do I winterize my Garden Tower?

Start by clearing out old plants, cleaning the compost tube, and adding fresh compost or worm castings. Insulate the tower with a tarp or clear plastic cover, and if winters are severe, consider relocating your worms indoors until spring.

How do I protect my Garden Tower from freezing?

Use a clear tarp or plastic bag to seal in warmth while allowing light through. Moving the tower near a building wall can also help retain some heat. If you experience heavy freezes, bringing the tower indoors is the safest option.

What should I plant in my Garden Tower during fall and winter?

Plant cool-season crops like spinach, lettuce, arugula, peas, carrots, and radishes. You can also transplant brassicas such as kale, broccoli, and cauliflower for steady harvests through winter.