by Matt Gibson
Though wintertime is not the most active fourth dimension for gardeners , that does n’t intend that there is nothing to do . In fact , a serious nurseryman puts the winter to utilise in multiple fashion which will ante up dividends throughout the twelvemonth . Winter horticulture chore are not just busy work , but body process that prepare you and your plot for the coming growing season and beyond . Read on to learn about all of the different means that you could keep the rust fungus off of your horticulture gear wheel throughout the frigid season , and keep your green thumb hard and limber .
What do you do with your garden
in the winter?
The next 12 chore will get you ready for the upcoming growing season and give you raft to do during the wintertime month .
Get Organized
Before diving headfirst into any major labor in preparation for spring gardening , it is important to have all of the putz of the barter ready at hand . What better mode to get things rolling in preparation for the bound than to do some leaping cleaning a few months in advance ? Your gardening provision and work surface area can well become a disaster sphere during the growing time of year , as seam maintenance , plant care , harvesting , and lay in chore are all of higher grandness on the to - do listing than cleaning and organizing .
If you are anything like me , your shed and workspace look like a tornado hit them at the ending of the gloaming . Once everything is in its right plaza , it will be much easier to dive into projects without being distracted by all the clutter . If you already have a arrangement in place , hefty things up a bit and get everything back where it belongs . If your workspace is still a work in progress , now is the perfect time to set out deciding how good to mastermind the stuff you have and make room for new stuff and nonsense that you will take for coming chore .
Build hangars and shelve units to store your tool and provision , cleaning and sweeping up dirt and rubble as you go along . Empty source trays , plant stack , plantation owner box , hang hoop , and other various containers should be emptied and make clean thoroughly with hot , soapy water to reduce the fortune of pest and disease . Once cleaned and dry out , put each case of detail up with like items so that everything will be easy to find when you need it .
Gear Up
pull together up your gardening tools and take an inventory of everything that you have . Clean up your gear as best you’re able to , sharpen and oil or replace dull blades . Once you have everything together , make a list of anything that needs to be supplant . Check out this article which features six usefulgardening tool that every gardener should own . If you have a minute of redundant money to invest in gardening supplying , take a look at this inclination of thebest new gardening toolsavailable and decide if there is anything that you want to add to your arsenal or anything that ’s already in your toolkit that you think it ’s fourth dimension to supervene upon .
Start (Or Expand) Composting
compost begins to slow down as temperature drop , which is the perfect clip for maintenancing your mountain . If you have n’t started compost yet , do n’t wait any longer to get rolling . Composting is eco - well-disposed , surprisingly fun , extremely good , and it will save you lot of money on potting dirt each year . If you already have a composting organization in billet , study expanding your surgery by sum a second heap or a dirt ball farm also get laid as Bokashi composting .
Build New Garden Beds
Maintenance your honest-to-goodness beds or displume them down and start anew . If your old beds are still in passably good contour , look at adding another one to the mix , if place allows . Raised beds are easy to foregather and relatively chinchy to make , especially if you have your own compost to use when amending the ground . cluck here to find out how tomake your own raised bed .
Befriend The Birds
A garden without visitors can be a lonely place and wintertime is a tough season for the avian universe . If you do n’t have any garden features to pull boo to your garden pickup , start this wintertime by impart a bird feeder , birdbath , birdhouse , hummingbird eater , or but by leaving a few berry on a plant instead of harvesting them all for yourself . Birdseed is incredibly sleazy too , so it ’s super easy to lend a helping hand to your local bird population .
Organize Seeds And Order More
Take an inventory of the seed you have on hand and place an purchase order for what you lack and perhaps a few works you have never grown before to try out out in the upcoming growing seasons . Alternatively , make a lean of your shortages and make a slip to your local nursery to stock up on seeds for springiness .
Check Stored Bulbs and Tubers
If you are storing medulla oblongata and/or genus Tuber for future planting , be sure to tally them once per calendar month to underwrite that there is no mold or extra moisture nowadays . Discard any musty radical immediately and mist any bulb or tubers that were in the near neck of the woods of the affected roots before returning them to storage .
Mulch and Cover
Frost fleece or a unclouded blanket placed over your plants can go a long way towards celebrate them alive during freezing or near freezing temperature , so even if you do n’t have any indoor space that you can dedicate to overwintering , you may still be able to keep valued plant alive through the treacherous inhuman nighttime . Mulching your beds with organic mulch , or even leaves , straw , or pine needles , can help keep your plants alive during the wintertime . Mulch insulates the ground and help protect base from freezing temperature . wintertime mulching can actually keep some plants warm enough to allow you to stay harvesting during the winter .
Take Cuttings
Propagate your plants during the winter bytaking hardwood cuttings . Even if you do n’t demand to add more industrial plant to your assembling , spread some of your favorite shrubs , rise crotch hair , or berry can be great for heedful cost - free gifts for neighbors and friends .
Build A Cold Frame
you may easily extend your harvesting and growing time of year by building a cold build to house and protect your plant from the harsh winter weather . Cold frames can be built from pelf , or you may repurpose some old furniture , doors , window , and other with child token . The room access are open to so many different possibility , as inhuman frame can literally be constructed out of just about anything , such as bricks , bales of hay , scrapwood , and much more .
Add Something New and Exciting
Aside from a few newfangled plants , add together something new to the garden each year that amplify your vision . wintertime is the unadulterated time to decide on how you require to kick upstairs your garden space and put that plan into action . Perhaps a new paseo could be added with stepping Stone or crushed rock to lead from one section of the garden to another . You may even decide to take on a major undertaking like adding a water feature film , like a small pool , or a urine jet to your garden getaway . These are just a few idea of how you could amend your place . There are eternal possibility , so feel complimentary to conceive giving and come up with something that you would delight for age to come .
Plan For Next Season
Take some time to reflect on last class ’s horticulture experience and call up about how you may amend and expand your effort . Make some government note and list of industrial plant that need to be move , carve up , or replaced . Decide what convert you would wish to make , how you would like to go about improving your soil , and note what take move up last year so that you could contrive how to ward off them this class . Make a leaning of fresh plants that you would like to try out in forthcoming growing season . Sketch a layout plan that you could expend as a reference when deciding what to plant where get along springtime .
Hopefully , you now have plenty of ideas to mold with and are ready to get started with your winter horticulture fun . wintertime will be over before you love it , so plunk in fountainhead first . Keep an eye out for the 2nd part of this serial , in which we will do commonly ask questions about winter horticulture tasks . We will cover when you should cut back plants for winter , whether you should cover your garden , the best materials to cover your garden with , how you could ameliorate the soil during the winter , how to winterise garden beds , and more .
Want to learn about winter gardening tasks?
horticulture make love How coversEarly Winter Garden Chores
Mother Earth News covers10 Tasks for Your Winter Garden
Proven Winners covers10 Winter Gardening Tasks
The Backyard Gardener coversWinter Gardening Tasks
