How To Winterize A Garden
Gather frost blankets old sheets or cloth tablecloths and have them at the ready as temperatures start to fall.
How to winterize a garden. How to plant your fall and winter garden. Tilling to winterize garden. There are still a few cool but sunny days left to prepare the vegetable garden for the winter in preparation for next spring. Today i want to share how to winterize your vegetable garden.
Here in the midwest we ve had freezing temperatures sleet and even a small amount of snow. The soil that worked so hard to feed the plants in your garden space needs to be re energized with nutrients. Like a small child who has run and played all day your garden needs cleaned and tucked in for a winter s sleep. Use frost blankets to cover crops in a winter vegetable garden to protect winter container gardens and to help tender plants survive a cold snap.
As autumn progresses and the weather cools it s time to get your garden ready for the winter. In general you want to know roughly when your first fall frost is and count back the weeks so you know when to plant your crops. Aside from a cover crop you can also prepare your garden for winter by protecting your garden soil with mulch. Many of us have kids who go back to school and all that comes with preparing for that.
Winterizing your garden also involves rounding up plant covers for winter frost protection. The benefits of winterizing your garden. Don t forget to winterize your water. This protects soil from weeds and cold and help.
After working hard during the garden season it s always a little tempting to leave it. Spread a thick layer of grass clippings compost salt marsh hay or other organic material over your garden bed. The planning stages are important when timing your fall and winter garden. Taking extra time and energy to winterize your garden helps keep it healthy and protected while you wait for the spring planting season.
These five winterizing tasks meet the needs of your plants and soil prepare your garden for whatever winter brings and set the. It may seem like not much is happening in your yard as you watch deciduous trees and shrubs drop their colorful foliage and other plants slow their growth as they prepare to go dormant. Many of us have clubs and organizations that begin again in the fall and we resume things we may have taken a break from during the summer. Fall is a busy time.
Hopefully you have reaped the benefits of your garden and filled your shelves and freezer with plenty of food to munch throughout the winter. Have you been putting off winterizing your garden. For many gardeners winter is around the corner. If you have a garden or trees in your yard you are probably spending a lot of outdoor time.
The second benefit of winterizing is that. To help identify the most essential must do tasks for winterizing the garden i recruited the help of karen olivier a master gardener in canada who also runs the northern gardener facebook page. However there s a lot going on under the soil until it freezes. This is especially true for newly transplanted.
Whether winter in your region brings snow and frigid temps or more moderate conditions timely winter preparations pay dividends.