Don’t be fooled. There’s still a lot going on in your garden even after that first frost hits and the tomatoes hang limp from the blackened vines.
Trees, shrubs, flower bulbs, and perennials of all kinds are still growing roots, drawing in moisture, and storing up food for the winter ahead.
You’d be amazed if you could see what all is going on underground. Earthworms and billions of microbes are still hard at work, digging tunnels, processing organic material, enriching your garden for next year. Treat your “underground herd” well, and it’ll reward you.
With all that activity going on in your garden, it’s not quite time for the serious gardener (you!) to hibernate either.
Ten Tips On Winterizing Your Garden
- CLEAN UP THE PLACE. Your mom would approve, and it helps reduce disease and pests next year since disease spores and pest eggs reside on old plant parts. So get your garden spic and span by removing all dead plants, weeds, and leaves. Cut back perennials to within 2-3 inches (5-8 cm) of the ground. Carefully rake up any remaining plant debris.
Throw away or burn plants with disease, such as tomato plants with blight. Putting those blighters on the mulch pile beside the garden creates the risk of bringing that blight back next summer, more virulent than ever.
But remember, healthy plants make great compost. So build that compost pile. - PLANT COVER CROPS OR APPLY COMPOST. Yes, it’s a bit late to plant cover crops, unless you’re in the South. But even if you’re not, it might not be too late. If you toss this magazine aside this very minute and head over to your nearest garden center or farm supply store, you can possibly pick up that seed and get that cover crop in yet today.
Clover, rye, winter wheat, or hairy vetch are all good choices, depending where you live.
Cover crops protect the soil from erosion, soil diseases, and weeds. Plus, a cover crop can be worked back into the soil the following spring, providing additional organic material for that “underground herd.”
If you think it’s too late to plant a cover crop, try fall composting. The goal is to leave no square inch of your garden uncovered.
Four to six inches of composted manure, hay, or other organic material is fine. Or you can apply about a half inch of the super-rich mushroom compost all over your garden, and cover that with a thick layer of chopped leaves or straw.
Another option is to do sheet composting. Put down a 2-inch (5 cm) layer of “greens” that are full of nitrogen, such as grass clippings, hay, or silage. Cover the “greens” with 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) of high-carbon “browns” such as chopped leaves or straw. The “greens” will interact biologically with the “browns” and break them down into food for the “underground herd”, effectively turning the entire surface of your garden into a compost pile.
Those critters living under there will love it and use it to improve your garden. - DIVIDE PERENNIAL CLUMPS AND PLANT NEW ONES. Fall is a great time to plant perennials, as the roots are active late into the season. Astilbe, daylilies, hosta, and just about every other clumping perennial can be divided. This is also a good time of year to find specials on perennials at your local garden center.
- BRING TENDER BULBS INSIDE. Gladiolas, cannas, elephant ears, and others will freeze in northern climates. Know your plants, and dig up vulnerable ones. Put them on the basement floor for a few days to allow them to dry. Then pack them in foam “peanuts,” wood shavings, or peat moss for the winter.
- PLANT PANSIES. Fall and winter pansies are growing in popularity, even in the North. The viola type with smaller flowers seem to be hardiest. During a milder winter, pansies will bloom intermittently during warm weather, bringing color to an otherwise barren landscape. Early spring is when these beauties really shine. Plant a row or two along the edge of your garden now, and they will erupt with masses of color in the spring. A light straw mulch helps protect them in extra cold winters.
- PROTECT HYBRID TEA ROSES. Since hybrid tea roses consist of a less hardy hybrid grafted onto a much hardier rootstock, the grafted hybrid on top can freeze when the wind chill factor gets down to 5 or 10 degrees F (-15 to -12 degrees C). Many a customer has come to our nursery, complaining about the shoots growing up from the bottom of their rosebush they purchased just last year.
Uh-huh. The thing froze above the graft, leaving the customer with the inferior flowers of the rootstock.
But you can prevent that by providing a little winter protection. Tea roses are so beautiful and fragrant, it’s hard to begrudge them the extra care.
First, refrain from late pruning, as it may force out new shoots. Prune in the spring.
Second, clean up around the roses. Remove all spent flowers and all plant debris in and around the rose bushes. This is especially important around roses because plant debris shelters the black spot fungus which can be such a problem. Rake away all the old mulch too, as it can harbor disease.
Third, spread a new layer of mulch around the base of the rose bushes, extending it out to the tips of the branches. Wood chips, shredded bark, or chopped leaves all work well.
After the ground freezes, keep adding mulch until you have a mound 12-18 inches (30-45 cm) high and covering the bud union (the graft). Eventually, almost the entire rose bush can be covered. This thick layer of mulch not only protects the canes from bitter winds, but it also insulates the ground, preventing the temperature swings which can be hard on plants.
To keep things tidy, you can build a cylinder of chicken wire or wire mesh around your roses out of chicken wire or wire mesh. Fill the cylinder with leaves, straw, pine needles, etc. - MAKE LEAF MULCH. Leaf mulch is different from compost, in that it’s made up entirely of leaves and it decomposes only partially the first year.
It’s easy to think of leaves as a nuisance to be cleaned up in the fall. We should change that thinking. We should think of leaves as a wonderful natural resource for the lawn and garden.
Making your leaf mulch:
a. Choose a location. You can make a leaf pile in the woods, or make an enclosure from chicken wire or snow fence.
b. Chop your leaves. Mow over your leaf-littered yard with a grass catcher. Or rake your leaves into a pile and mow over them. Then collect the shredded leaves.
c. Pile your chopped leaves. Don’t compress them because good air flow aids decomposition.
d. Apply next spring. The center of your pile is likely to be more decomposed. Mix the various layers together as you spread your leaf mulch. You can put it 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) deep on your garden.
e. The advantages of leaf mulch: While not true compost, leaf mulch has great assets. It helps retain moisture, keeps weeds down, and contributes greatly to the microbes in your soil. Earthworms love leaves. Plus, it keeps the soil from compacting due to hard rains and baking sunshine. And the coarse organic material creates air space in your garden soil, allowing better root growth. - CLEAN YOUR TOOLS. Now is the time to clean those rakes, shovels, hoes, wheelbarrows, and other garden equipment. Rinse them off and lightly oil metal parts, or spray on rust remover. Caring for your tools in this way can add years to their use.
- TAKE NOTES. While the gardening season is fresh in your mind, it’s a great time to take notes for next year. Write down your successes and failures, favorite vegetables, diseases and pests that were a problem, great new plants, and whatever else pops into your mind while you are standing in the dirt, pen in hand. You could even sketch out next year’s garden design.
- THANK THE CREATOR. You can plant, and you can water, but it is God who makes everything grow. Take a moment to thank Him.