As the days grow shorter and the air turns crisp, it’s time to think about how to prepare garden for winter. Taking these steps now protects your plants and soil, ensuring a healthier, more vibrant garden next spring.
A little effort in the fall saves you a huge amount of work and disappointment later. This guide walks you through the essential cold weather protection steps, from cleaning up to covering up.
How to Prepare Garden for Winter
This process isn’t just about cleaning. It’s about actively shielding your garden from freezing temperatures, harsh winds, and heavy snow. A well-prepared garden allows perennials, shrubs, and soil life to rest and survive until spring.
1. The Great Cleanup: Remove and Compost
Start by removing spent annual plants. Pull them up by the roots and add healthy ones to your compost pile. This eliminates hiding places for pests and diseases over the winter.
For vegetable beds, clear any rotting fruit or foliage. Left in place, they can harbor fungal spores and insect eggs.
However, don’t clean up everything. Leave ornamental grasses and plants with seed heads for winter interest and bird food. Perennial stems can also provide habitat for beneficial insects.
2. Weed Thoroughly One Last Time
Pull every weed you can see, especially those that are about to set seed. Winter annual weeds like chickweed can get a huge head start if you ignore them now.
This is one of the most effective steps you can take. It drastically reduces your weeding workload when spring arrives.
3. Protect Your Soil: Amend and Mulch
After a season of growth, your soil needs nourishment. Fall is the perfect time to add organic matter.
- Add compost or well-rotted manure to your beds. You don’t need to dig it in deeply; just spread a 1-2 inch layer on the surface. Worms and weather will help incorporate it.
- Consider planting a cover crop, like winter rye or clover, in empty vegetable beds. They prevent erosion and add nutrients when turned under in spring.
- Apply a winter mulch after the ground freezes. This layer of straw, shredded leaves, or wood chips insulates the soil, preventing damaging freeze-thaw cycles that heave plant roots out of the ground.
Why Leaves Are Gold
Don’t bag and discard fallen leaves! Shred them with a mower and pile them on garden beds or add to the compost. They are a fantastic free resource for improving soil structure.
4. Care for Trees, Shrubs, and Perennials
Different plants need different approaches.
Pruning Basics
Hold off on major pruning for most trees and shrubs in fall. It can stimulate new growth that will be killed by frost. Instead, just remove any dead, damaged, or diseased branches.
Exception: You can cut back most herbaceous perennials (the ones that die back to the ground) after frost.
Watering is Critical
Give all your trees, shrubs, and perennials a deep, thorough watering before the ground freezes. This is especially important for evergreens, which lose moisture through their leaves all winter. Hydrated plants are much more resistant to winter burn and desiccation.
Wrapping and Sheltering
Some plants need extra physical protection.
- Tender shrubs: Wrap burlap around vulnerable evergreens like some rhododendrons to shield them from wind and sun scald.
- New perennials: Mound mulch or soil around the base of roses and other tender perennials after they go dormant.
- Delicate trees: Protect young tree trunks from sunscald and animal chewing with commercial tree guards or wire mesh.
5. Don’t Forget the Vegetable Garden
Empty vegetable beds benefit greatly from a cover crop, as mentioned. If that’s not possible, cover them with a layer of compost and then straw or leaves.
Remove all tomato cages and stakes. Clean them with a mild bleach solution, let them dry, and store them indoors.
If you have cold-hardy crops like kale, carrots, or parsnips, you can extend their harvest. Use a thick layer of straw or a floating row cover to keep the ground from freezing solid around them.
6. Prep Your Tools and Infrastructure
This step is often overlooked but just as essential.
- Clean and oil tools: Scrub soil off shovels, pruners, and hoes. Wipe metal surfaces with an oily rag to prevent rust. Sharpen blades so they’re ready for spring.
- Drain and store hoses: Fully drain garden hoses and coil them up in a garage or shed. Shut off outdoor water valves and drain faucets to prevent burst pipes.
- Clean out pots: Empty ceramic and terra cotta pots and store them upside down so they don’t crack from absorbing water and freezing.
- Tidy the shed: Organize your space so you can find everything easily when the busy spring season starts.
7. Plan for Next Year
While the garden is still fresh in your mind, make a few notes. What plants did really well? What failed? Where could you use more early spring color?
Sketch a quick layout for next year’s vegetable garden to practice crop rotation. This helps prevent soil-borne diseases from building up.
Ordering seeds and catalogs in winter is a joyfull way to pass the time. Getting your orders in early ensures you get the varieties you want.
Final Winterizing Checklist
To make sure you haven’t missed anything, run through this list:
* Remove diseased annuals and vegetable plants.
* Pull weeds.
* Add compost or manure to beds.
* Water trees and shrubs deeply.
* Cut back dead perennial foliage.
* Apply winter mulch after freeze-up.
* Protect tender shrubs and tree trunks.
* Clean, sharpen, and store tools.
* Drain hoses and shut off outdoor water.
* Empty and store pots.
Taking a weekend to complete these tasks brings peace of mind. You’ll know your garden is sleeping soundly under it’s winter blanket, ready to wake up strong.
FAQ: Winter Garden Preparation
When is the best time to start winterizing my garden?
Begin after the first killing frost, when most plants have gone dormant. This is usually in late fall, but timing varies by region.
Should I cut back all my perennials in the fall?
Not necessarily. Leave plants with sturdy stems or seed heads (like coneflowers) for winter interest and wildlife. Cut back floppy, diseased, or soggy foliage.
What is the best mulch for winter protection?
Shredded leaves, straw, and wood chips are excellent choices. Avoid using whole leaves, as they can mat down and smother plants.
How do I protect my garden from heavy snow?
Gently brush heavy, wet snow off tree and shrub branches to prevent breakage. Avoid shaking branches, as frozen ones are brittle.
Is fall a good time to fertilize the garden?
No. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers in fall, as they promote tender new growth that winter will kill. Focus on adding compost instead.
Can I leave my pots outside for the winter?
Plastic, fiberglass, or metal pots can often stay out. But you must move porous pots like clay and ceramic indoors, as they absorb water and will crack when frozen.
Should I till my garden in the fall?
Modern gardening practices recommend not tilling, as it disturbs soil life and structure. Adding compost on the surface (no-till method) is better for your soil’s long-term health.