This morning’s thermometer reading made my stomach clench and my heart nearly stop.

Thirty-two degrees.

Not a frost. Frozen.

I’d put off taking in my houseplants from the container garden, and with a jolt, I realized I had pushed it too far. They would be dead for sure, brown, lifeless, a summer’s worth of work and enjoyment down the tubes.

Out to the rock garden I went, expecting the worst.

What I discovered was a most pleasant surprise. Protected by the maple trees above, perhaps, my plants seemed to be thriving.

Ample rain alternating with sun had meant I could neglect them in the past few weeks, and they seemed no worse for the wear. The ivy was thriving; the geraniums were, too. Two Christmas cactuses looked like they might prefer balmier temperatures, but they were holding out.

I carted them inside, into the sunniest room in the house, and I will pamper them for a few days, like a child with a cold. It baffles me that sometimes this neglectful treatment is exactly what plants need.

I’m thankful I remembered my houseplants before it was too late. Here on the farm, fall is even busier than spring, the sense of urgency compounded by the fact that winter — which inherently means an inability to do anything worth mentioning in the garden — is certainly looming, nearer than we would hope.

Winter is easily enjoyed once all the tasks are completed, but right now the list of things to do is longer than what each day would possibly allow.

In my mail this week, I found a comprehensive list of tips for fall gardening. They come from the American Nursery and Landscape Association, which recommends using the following guidelines for fall yard and garden maintenance:

Rake leaves onto compost pile or shred and use for mulch.

Trim back spent herbaceous perennials. Chop up debris and compost. Pile loose mulch — such as pine needles, straw or leaves — on tender plants that require protection. Roses, young perennial seedlings, strawberries and perennials are such plants.

Harvest cold-sensitive vegetables before frost. Dig beets, radishes and carrots when ground cracks at plant stem. Plant cool-weather vegetable plants: kale, hardy onions, collards, cabbage and garlic. Mulch well.

Save seed from flowers and vegetables for next year’s sowing. Gather and dry seed, storing it for the winter in airtight containers.

Evaluate your lawn. Fall is the time for one last mowing. Set the mower blade to the highest setting. Lawns with fescue can be reseeded in fall (although Aug. 15 to Sept. 15 is the best date).

Drain gas and oil from all power equipment to prevent problems starting them in spring.

Remove broken, diseased or damaged branches from trees and shrubs.

Plant daffodils and other spring flowering bulbs when soil is cool.

Direct-sow wildflower seed that requires cool temperatures.

If a live (not cut) Christmas tree is in your plans, dig its hole before the ground freezes. Mulch well.

Take in hummingbird feeders. Continue to feed seed and suet to species which winter over in the North. They’ll rid your trees of pest larvae, eggs and insects.

These fall tips may help you organize your fall chores and put them into a manageable frame of work. As the brisk fall winds blow, signaling the imminent winter, what gets done will get done, and what doesn’t will sleep with the plants until spring.

Diana George Chapin is the NEWS garden columnist. Send horticulture questions to Gardening Questions, c/o Maine Weekend, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402-1329. Selected questions will be answered in future columns. Include name, address and telephone number.