Why get your garden winter ready? Winterizing your garden in fall is the way to ensure that come spring you will have less work and more time to enjoy the spring flowers. While plants and lawns do become dormant, they still need some pre-winter care and protection to make sure they are at their best in spring.
Get ready to winterize your garden!
Here are some simple winterizing tips and ideas that you can do this fall to make sure your garden is ready and prepared for the colder weather this winter.
Winter garden clean-up
- Remove all the dead flowers and prune off any bushes or shrubs so that you won’t be caught in the spring when it may be too late to prune. (see our article on when to prune trees, shrubs and bushes)
- Pull up any weeds, rake up fallen leaves and any other garden debris. Don’t leave piles of raked leaves sitting on your lawn over the winter as this will kill your grass! Except for some types of weeds, you can compost most of these materials.
- If you have vegetable garden beds, turn the soil over with a gardening fork or spade then cover the dirt with a layer of leaves or grass clippings. This will act as a mulch and besides breaking down over winter to enrich your soil, it will prevent any hardy spring weeds from coming up when the ground warms a little.
- Plant any spring flowering bulbs now, such as daffodils and tulips. Be sure to plant in clusters as this makes a nice show when they come up rather than a row of “soldiers”.
- Some of your more tender plants and shrubs may need to be covered for winter if you live in a colder zone. You can cover the base of your plants with leaves or other mulch but if you expect a very cold freeze, try completely covering with burlap or potato sacks.
- Finally, organize your garden fertilizers and tools. Don’t leave shovels and spades sitting all winter with dirt on them! Clean them off, sharpen them and store them undercover so that they won’t rust. Dispose of any old fertilizers or pesticides and make sure that any powders, crystals or granules are stored properly so that they won’t get damp over the winter.
Now your garden is winter ready!
Just a weekend of winter preparation can make a huge difference for your garden in spring. So before you go inside and shut the door on your garden for the season, make sure to winterize your yard properly.