November 5, 2014

As the warmer season begins to wind down, keeping your garden protected from the cold winter season is important. With harsh storms, cold winds and low temperatures, you’ll want your garden to be a place that’s safe. Here are some tips that will make your garden what it needs to be for next season.bigstock-winter-in-a-natural-garden-9769973

Take your time

It will take some time to protect your garden during the colder months. Instead of doing it all at once, use several weekends to plan what you need to do. Over the next few Saturdays and Sundays, you’ll have a protected garden in your yard that didn’t exhaust you to complete.

Clean it up

If you had a great garden season, it may be tough goodbye to your lush spot until the warm days come back. However, don’t leave the hard work for the next season. Clean it up now. Cut and remove this past season’s vegetables and annuals. If you have a compost pile, add them in. Also, go ahead and cut back the dead foliage from your perennials.

Weed and rake

Continue the cleaning process with some weeding and raking. Begin to weed out around the garden area until there are no more weeds to remove. Rake the leaves that have fallen in the garden as well. Put these weeds and leaves into the compost pile.

Put new mulch out

Once the ground freezes, it should be time to put new mulch around the plants and trees. Place mulch around your perennials, evergreens and the trees you recently planted. You may want to cover them with burlap screens to protect them from sun exposure and cold season damage.

Cover your containers

You don’t want your containers and canisters to freeze outside and become damaged during the winter months. When you leave containers outside, they can fill with water from the rain and crack the pot. This can destroy your container. Instead, cover them up. Be sure to clean your concrete containers and terra-cotta pots before putting them away.

Pull up and till

Pulling up the weeds in your garden is vital to keeping it healthy for the next season. However, tilling is just as important. Begin to till the soil gently in order to uncover the insects that are hiding in your garden. These are the ones who plan on sticking around over the winter. Once that’s done, add on a layer of leaves, compost and manure. Begin to slowly till the soil again.

Know your herbs

If you’re an herb grower, you’ll want to know how to protect your herbs. Rosemary should either be inside your home or outside, protected under shelter. Thyme is pretty tough and will do well most anywhere. If you have parsley, they can handle a little frost, but nothing more than that.

When it comes to putting your garden to rest, it’s important to do the hard work now. To prepare for a promising new garden season, manage your tasks and take your time as you decide how to handle your new plants, herbs, flowers and shrubs.