Despite winter being the coldest months of the year, it doesn’t mean you abandon your garden in totality. Although it’s not a good growing season, your landscaping and plants still should to be maintained. Work on essential winter garden tasks and prepare your beds for the planting season when the temperatures start to rise once again.
With that in mind, below are some of the things to do for your garden during the winter.
1. Uproot Weeds
Despite it being winter, weeds will still grow in your garden. Keep monitoring your garden every two weeks and uproot weeds as they appear.
Weeds will continue to deplete nutrients from your soil during the winter, and this, in the end, will ruin your garden plans during the spring.
2. Cover Beds to Kill Weeds
If your garden beds seem hopeless because of weeds invasion, enclose them with black plastic.
Cover the beds with black plastic throughout the winter to eliminate all the weeds, and your garden will be ready for planting during the spring.
3. Clean-Up to Turn Pests Away
Remove all the dead or dying plants and vegetables in an attempt to keep pests away. Pests and blight can still flourish during the winter months, ravaging and destroying your garden beds.
Get rid of all old plants and dispose them further away from your garden or deposit them in the compost pile, provided they contain no pests and blight.
4. Add Mulch to Prevent Weeds
After getting rid of the old mulch and leaves in your garden beds, add a small amount of compost and mulch to stop weeds from growing and add value to the soil as far as nutrients are concerned.
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5. Protect Sensitive Plants
Some plants can withstand winter cold while others cannot.
Therefore, it’s a prudent move to cover all plants that can be ravaged by winter cold. Note that the use of plastic to cover the plants is unhealthy as most likely it will kill them. Only shield your plants with materials that are going to support plants’ live.
Even after covering the plants, continue checking them to ensure they’re surviving the winter.
6. Clean Your Tools
Winter is the best time to clean all your garden gear, getting rid of all debris and dirt.
Due to the extreme cold associated with winter, it is vital to enclose blades and metal parts with a vegetable oil layer to avoid rust.
It is also a great time to make sure these tools don’t have dirt, or rust on them.
You should also check and make sure that handles are secure, wood is treated, and they are just in good condition in general.
7. Empty Your Pots
If you have outdoor planters and pots, empty them as winter sets in.
This is to prevent them from developing cracks and eventually getting damaged. Keeps your pots facing upside down until the spring when you’re ready to use them once again.
8. Gather Leaves for Mulch
Leaves that look so irritating in the fall can be invaluable for a winter garden. Collect as many leaves as possible and deposit them in your compost pile.
When the spring comes, you’ll have rich compost that will add nutritional value to your garden once the spring sets in.
Conclusion
Take time to prepare your garden during the winter season, and you’ll have healthier plants, beautiful plants, and attractive landscaping in spring and summer.
Little winter garden preparations will make a significant difference while reducing your work during the planting season.
