Winter Garden Tasks

 

Even if you are not growing a winter garden, you can still do plenty of winter garden tasks.

Winter garden chores can be split into planning and chores.

Planning

Winter is an excellent time to plan your next year’s garden. Planning your garden is split to into these steps.

Inventory

Before you list things you want to grow, you should organize what you have. This includes seeds, fertilizers, soil amendments, pest/fungus control products, stakes, tape, watering equipment, seed starting equipment, etc.

Planning and prepping for your garden will be much easier and more precise when you have all this information.

Knowing precisely what you have will help you save time and money by preventing last-minute trips to the store or buying too much of one product.

Goals

Using your inventory, you can list what you’d like to grow.

It is a good idea to draw out how your garden will look to double-check spacing needs.

This will prevent you from buying too many plants or seeds.

Winter Garden Chores

Winter garden chores will help you prepare for spring planting by ensuring your soil and tools are in prime condition.

Soil Test

In the early winter, test your soil for nutrients and pH.

That way, you have the ability to amend your soil with proper timing for it to acclimate without being a hazard to your plants. Things like agricultural lime and certain fertilizers must be applied several months before you plant in the soil to give the amendments time to break down into concentrations that won’t harm plant roots.

Brush Removal

Winter is a great time to remove any remaining brush from your garden.

Doing this will also remove any insects that are overwintering in it and any plants that have fungal or bacterial infections.

This practice contributes to a healthy spring garden.

If you have a safe space, you can burn the brush and then add the ashes back into your soil to boost carbon, potassium, magnesium, and calcium levels.

Garden Tool Maintenance

Use winter downtime to sharpen blades and repair or replace worn tools.

This can include sharpening tiller blades, shovels, spades, and other cutting tools. It also includes oiling trimmers and other tools.

Amend your Soil

You can amend your soil in several ways during the winter to ensure it is ready for spring planting.

Compost

Adding compost in the winter will give it time to break down in the soil. This means the nutrients will be available immediately when you plant in the spring.

Mulch

Consider covering your garden with pine needles or fallen leaves. It will help keep the soil warm, protect any present roots, and prevent weeds from growing.

Then in the spring, you can just till them into the soil, and they will act as fertilizer.

Conclusion

Winter is a perfect time to get some organization and planning done. And it is the best time to get your soil in tip-top shape and ensure your tools are in excellent condition.

What winter garden tasks do you do?

Read More:

Tips to Prevent Winter Plant Damage

What to Plant in your Fall or Winter Garden

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What to Plant in your Fall or Winter Garden

 

Tending a fall or winter garden can give you a new appreciation for usually bitter vegetables. Cool-weather crops react to frost by making more sugars resulting in deliciously different-tasting harvests.

Not sure what to plant for a cool-weather garden?

Beets, Carrots, Rutabagas, and Other Root Vegetables

Many of these veggies thrive in cold weather.

Beets

This popular root vegetable germinates the best in cold weather and gets sweeter with a frost. Pickled beets and beet sugar syrup are 2 popular recipes for beets.

Carrots

Plant carrots during the fall and harvest before temps are consistently cold. The cold can sap their color and taste. You can order specific varieties adapted for cold weather that you can grow during the most challenging part of the winter.

Rutabagas

A cross between a turnip and cabbage, the rutabaga must mature in cold weather, so they are the first choice for a winter garden.

Radishes

In addition to being cold hardy to 20℉, radishes can grow back from roots if their foliage is damaged by cold.

Cabbage and Its Spinoffs

Cabbage, Brussel sprouts, kale, cauliflower, and broccoli descend from the same plant. Cabbage and kale are focused on producing leaves. Cauliflower and broccoli are the flowers.

These are perfect for a fall or winter garden because they all thrive in cold weather. They can weather harsh weather, below freezing, and still be ready to pick and enjoy.

Celery and Swiss Chard

Living in a warmer climate like the South, you can grow celery in a winter garden. However, if you live in a cold environment, you must pick celery before a significant frost hits.

Swiss Chard is your pick if you live in a colder place. It can survive dips to 15℉ without protection and lower temperatures if you take precautions to keep the frost off its foliage.

Spinach, Lettuce, and Other Leafy Greens

Leafy greens grow well in fall and winter gardens, and those in frigid climates can get seeds for varieties well adapted for the cold.

Spinach does slow its growth during the winter but grows very well in the fall and spring.

For things like lettuce, you can simply remove any leaves damaged by weather and pick the young, tender leaves underneath. And your plant will continue to grow.

Green Onions

Extremely cold hardy, they will grow through the snow. And you can get 3 or 4 harvests off of a single bulb before you need to replant.

Leeks

This is a tasty but overlooked veggie in the same family as garlic and onions. They are perfect for a cold weather garden because they are cold hardy to 0℉.

Conclusion

Fall and winter do not have to signal the end of your gardening year. On the contrary, planning and growing a fall or winter garden can keep you in delicious, cheap produce during the cold months. So what vegetables do you want to plant in your fall or winter garden?

Read More:

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