Every single year we go through the seasons getting our homes ready. We add blankets for the winter, and we add lighter curtains for the summer months. We’re all about making life comfortable for ourselves as the temperatures change. The garden is one place that is often neglected, but you can do so many things in the garden to ensure the comfort of your flowers and vegetables.
As the colder weather sets in, you have to look outside the home and make sure that your garden is as winter ready as possible. There is a lot to be done, and if you want to reduce how much work you will have in your garden during the spring, then getting your home ready for winter is an absolute must. With the right steps in place, you will be able to get into your garden in the spring and enjoy every moment of it!
Old plants aren’t just untidy looking. They’re a danger to the rest of the plants in the bed. If you have old plants in the middle of your beds, you’re going to risk pests and other funguses attacking the other, healthy plants. Unwanted insects feeding on your dead plants can move onto the healthier ones, and this will be difficult to manage. Removing the old plants will help, and you can bury the old plants in compost bins to turn them to future plant food!
Removing the invasive weeds in the flower beds is going to make a huge difference to the flowerbeds over the window. Digging out the weeds and getting rid of them is going to keep them from being strangled during the colder months. You have to get rid of them entirely to be able to make a difference to next year’s crop of flowers.
The soil is important for the plants to grow well, and most people choose to reserve this activity for the spring months, but it has to be done now! Now is a good time to dig in the compost and manure and other kelp/bone meal. If you add the nutrients now, you give it all time to start breaking down and feeding the roots. You will have done half the work for the spring if you do this now!
The perfect time to plant cover crops is right now. You can break up the impacted areas aasn increase the amount of organic soil and matter you have in your garden. Cover crops like peas and legumes will add nutrients to your beds and increase the nitrogen for your veggies. Always plant your cover crops a month before your first frost – this will help! Cover crops will help in the frost, too, so bear this in mind when you choose this route!
It’s important that you take the time to prune your perennials now rather than later. So many different plants will benefit from pruning right now before you have a first frost. If you trim back the perennials, you’ll be able to control the spread of the plants. Make sure that you prune the right plants, though, such as fennel and raspberry canes. You’ll also find that blueberries prefer to be pruned back in the spring months instead of the Fall.
Flower and plant bulbs need to be dug up and separated now before the cold sets in. Any plants that appear crowded and straggly need to be separated so that they don’t strangle each other. Find new locations for these plants and keep them all apart. Dividing is an important part of the process, and if you want your plants to grow well, then separation is a must!
You’ll be adding your compost every year, and residential sheds are a good place to keep large compost bins. You want to make sure that your compost is replenished often so that you can keep the soil fed and the lawn fertilised. Clearing out the compost makes the space for another batch, and you can add to it with sawdust, kitchen scraps, green matter and other active scraps elsewhere. Winter composting is important if you want to be successful in growing your plants again come springtime. Having your composts in sheds will help you to keep everything dry and ready for the flower beds. You’ll also keep pests away!
The mulch isn’t the same as the compost. Mulching in the winter is every bit as valuable as mulching in the summer. There are different benefits, of course, with winter mulching helping the roots of your plants. The freezing and thawing of the ground in a cycle is going to upset the plants, so mulching is going to help. Thick layers of mulch around your veggies is going to help them to grow and to live longer. Your mulch will also help against hard frosts, keeping your plants protected, too.
Lastly the best thing to do now before the winter, is to clean and store the garden tools and equipment properly. Most gardeners will keep their tools clean all year around, but the last minute rush before winter is going to make sure that our equipment is clean and stored in the sheds properly. If you have any rust on tools or equipment, take a little wire brush or sandpaper to it and see how fast it cleans up ready to be stored away.
The garden needs to be as ready as possible for the winter so that come spring, it’s blooming one again. The garden is a beautiful place to be, and you can keep it that way if you are smart about your garden preparation. Come spring time, you’re going to have a garden ready to be uncovered and back in use once again. Keep everything tidy, and you won’t have more work for yourself in a few months.
Full time I'm an ambitious Head of Marketing and Communications in the luxury industry. Part time, I'm an enthusiastic British Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle blogger and YouTuber from Manchester, UK. This blog has been my outlet for the past 7+ years, and as a longstanding, Award-winning blogger I take the most enjoyment from creating content I truly love and believe in. All authentic. Always.