Preparing Your Garden for Winter

Gardens full of beautiful flowers and other plants are a way for humans to express themselves artistically. Taking care of a well-kept garden can help add to the current home value and draw buyer interest if ever wanting to sell. Before the brutal cold of the frosty season takes hold, learn the best way of preparing your garden for winter from gardening experts.

Rake Leaves, Pick Up Debris & Pull-Up & Discard Old Vegetation

As fall months get deeper into the upcoming wintertime months, begin preparing your garden by picking up any debris. Pull-up old flowers, plants and vegetables, then discard those sodden clumps of old vegetation on the compost pile.

Many common garden pests will feed on old vegetation posing a future risk to your garden's bounty next year. In addition, those bugs might lay eggs in these old plants to create even more insects next spring. The collected compost will be used to fertilize the garden soil later on. Rake up any leaves and discard the same way.

Get Rid of Any Weeds That Have Taken Hold in Your Garden

It is amazing how many weeds can invade a garden area. It is important for gardeners to rid their garden of any of these weeds. These leftover plants will draw bugs and host their eggs needed to reproduce. Pull roots up by hand for garden plants and vegetables. If desired, property owners can use a safe weed and pest killer on the rest of the lawn.

After the First Hard-Freeze, Remove Harvest Seeds & Annuals

Gardening professionals caution gardeners to wait until after the first true hard-freeze occurs before beginning winter preparations. Waiting makes it easier to remove harvest seeds plants produced. Remove any annuals at the same time. Check for any disease in this vegetation. If they are free of noticeable disease, add these items to your growing compost pile.

Dry the seeds to use next year when planting the garden. Allow them to dry in an area free of moisture to avoid any mold or mildew invasion. Gardeners living in regions where winters are mild should consider replacing those old plants with new ones that are recommended for the level of cold in your specific geographical area. Garlic bulbs are a good item to plant during fall months.

Know When It's Time to Mulch Your Garden

As already discussed, a longer hard freeze is how nature rids the soil of underlying diseases and pests. This is when to mulch your garden, whether flower or vegetable. Use the natural mulch you collected if possible.

Examples of natural mulch materials include a clean layer of healthy straw or leaves that have already been shredded. As that mulch compost decays over time, the surrounding soil that sits around and below the mulch will reap the benefits of this natural soil/plant food.

Why Putting a Garden to Bed Is Necessary & Recommended

If a garden is allowed to run wild, gardeners are more likely to encounter more mud and excess moisture in the soil when spring finally arrives. After completing the other steps, take time to add peat, compost material, leaves and manure to promote natural fertilization of the ground. This will be the source of nutrients that new plants will need come planting season.