To increase the success of your garden next year, here are 10 tips for winterizing it:
- Prepare Container Plants
Move your containers to a cool garage or basement that gets some light. Or put mulch around the base of the plant in the container, and then wrap the container with insulating material such as foam or bubble wrap.
- Pre-Spring Clean-up
A basic fall cleaning will help prep your garden for spring. You can do this by raking up old fruits, vegetables, fallen leaves and twigs.
- Cut Back Perennials
Any perennials that don’t look nice during the winter or provide seeds for birds can be cut back to just a few inches above the ground.
- Prune
Pruning any bushes and shrubs that need it will prevent you being caught in the spring when it may be too late to do so.
- Weed
Don’t just leave them to the frost…it won’t kill them, they just go dormant and come back to haunt you in the spring. Be sure to pull them out, as this also will prevent them from going to seed.
- Transplant / Move Plants
Since plants are going dormant at this time of year it is the perfect time to do any transplanting or moving. This will prevent them from going into shock from the move.
- Plant Bulbs
It is also a good time to plant any spring flowering bulbs. You should also dig up non-hardy bulbs before the first frost to winter them in the garage or basement.
- Mulch
Applying mulch–shredded leaves work well–will help revitalize the soil since the organic matter breaks down over winter. The mulch you add also prevents soil erosion and keeps perennial roots and annual seeds warm.
- Hydrate
Water your garden well before the frost. Many plants die over the winter from lack of moisture, not necessarily the cold.
- Organize
Don’t forget to take care of your fertilizers and tools. Clean off tools, sharpen them and store them undercover so that they won’t rust. Drain and store all hoses, watering wands, nozzles and sprinklers before they freeze and become damaged. Dispose of any old fertilizers or pesticides properly. Make sure that the ones you keep are stored so that they won’t get damp over the winter.
