Preparing your garden for winter doesn’t have to feel like a chore. In fact, you can turn it into a fun family activity that is also good for the environment. Keeping your plants (and their soil) healthy and happy during the cold months means that they will be stronger and healthier in the spring so you won’t have an uphill battle then. Here are some things to do before the first snowfall this autumn if you want to see your garden thrive during winter.
Turn Leaves Into Mulch
There are a lot of advantages to mulching your garden in the fall. It will help to keep your plants warm, keep the weeds down, and feed your soil for next spring. The best thing about mulching is that it’s really easy to do. You can either rake up leaves from your lawn, or you can buy a bag of composted bark. The best time to mulch is when the leaves are still green, but they’re also falling from the trees. Be sure to wait until the leaves are dry so that they’ll break down quickly and easily. If you do this, you can turn your leaves into mulch, and also feed your soil.
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Protect Trees and Shrubs
If you have certain trees or shrubs in your garden you’ll want to protect them with either a frost blanket or a frost shield. A frost blanket is something that is draped over the plant, whereas a frost shield is a little bit more like a coat that goes around it. Frost blankets are more like a tarp that you can drape over the plant. Frost shields are a little bit more like a little tent. Both of these will help to keep your plants from getting frostbite. They are especially helpful with plants that are on the edge of being too big for a cover, like pumpkins or watermelons.
Start A Winter Covers Roundup
If you’re looking for an easy way to get your garden prepped for winter, start a roundup of winter covers for your garden. This can be a really fun family activity to get everyone in the garden. You can make it a treasure hunt, or a scavenger hunt. Once you have everything, you can store the covers in a place where they’ll be easy to get out like a laundry room or a utility closet. If you have a lot of perennials that you can’t cover or that are too big, a good alternative is to cut them down to the ground.
Add Aromatic Plants To The Bedroom
If you have a garden that you want to keep growing in the colder months but you don’t want to do a lot of work, then you can add some indoor plants to your bedroom. You can do this by picking plants that are known for their fragrances. You can go with herbs, you can go with citrus trees. It’s a great way to feed your indoor garden while also adding a little bit of scent to your room.
Turn Your Garden Over To Vegetables
If you have a vegetable garden, or if you have a large plot of land, you can actually turn it into a winter garden. A lot of vegetables actually grow just fine in the winter, especially root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and beets. For the rest of your vegetables, you can actually cover them with a row cover or an old blanket or sheet. This will protect them from the cold temperatures and frost.
If You Can, Rotate Some Plants To The Dark Side
If you have some really tough plants that you want to keep in your garden all winter, you can rotate parts of your garden to the dark side. This means that you’re literally turning your garden over. You’re turning it 90 degrees so that you’re no longer facing south. You’re facing northwest. There are a few things that you can do to help your plants adjust. First, you can add some extra mulch to help keep the soil a little bit warmer. You can also add some protective plants to give your other plants extra protection from the cold.
Conclusion
Now is the time to start thinking about getting your garden ready for winter. You can do this by making sure your garden is well-maintained, making sure you have the right plants in the right place, and by mulching your garden, you can keep it protected from the elements and also feed it, which is great for your garden’s health. With these tips, your garden will be set up for success during the cold months ahead.
