Put Your Garden to Bed by applying some stategies to protect your plants during winter-both roots & delicate foliage as well as your irrigation, garden art & tools.
- Apply Mulch like compost or other organic soil amendments 1-3” deep. This helps protect your plants roots from winter damage. Place a thick layer of newspaper or cardboard prior to mulch to choke out weeds. Use G&B fertilizers and planting mixes (soil ammendments) as mulch.
- Avoid heavy pruning in fall, best to wait until late winter. Only Lightly prune and thin plants that need it. Leave grasses and other perennials that produce seed heads for birds to eat over the winter intact, they can be cleaned up later in spring.
- Dispose of fallen leaves that are diseased or invested with insect pests. Remove dead needles inside of dense conifers producing better air flow and reducing spider mites. Healthy leaves and needles can be used as a mulch and are great to suppress weeds.
- Irrigation systems need to be winterized, ask a professional when needed. Add a hose bib or spigot protector to all outdoor faucets.
- Bring in tools, wheel barrows and hoses to protect from freezing. Also, any garden art that could crack during freezing weather should be protected or brought into the garden shed or garage. Moisture can get into the cracks of porous pots & statuary and when it freezes the ice can cause fractures, breakage, etc.
- Cloches, Cold Frames, Greenhouse & Raised Beds. Add protection to newly planted crops, allow to harden off before you directly plant into the garden.
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