Contributed Post
The Fall rolling in hasn’t stopped people from having cookouts and enjoying those lighter evenings, but as the night draws in earlier and people are feeling the chill in the air more and more, it’s time to think about preparing the house – and the garden – for the frost ahead. Winter preparation for a house is pretty straightforward, because mostly it’s insulating the rooms and ensuring you’ve brought out the heavier winter drapes and adding the rugs to the hard floors. Your home is supposed to keep you feeling cosy and comfortable, even when a gale is blowing outside. The question is really about what you should be doing with your garden space, and how you can make sure that’ it’s protected.
Perennial, You Say?
Your perennial plants need to be cleared of all dead foliage and this then added to your compost pile. If you don’t yet have a compost pile, read here about how to start one. If the foliage is diseased, don’t add it to the compost; that would be gross. Instead, throw it in the trash. Any bulbs you find, lift gently and store somewhere cool and dry. If you have a cellar, this is the perfect place. Keep the beds nice and moist, just in case of a low rainfall rate.
Water Features
Any water features that are hooked up to the mains from underneath should be switched off and the pipework should be insulated where possible. The aeration pumps should be turned off. This is because your fish are hibernating at the bottom of the pond for the winter and don’t release as much waste. Plus, it’s a money saver.
Shrub A Dub
Your shrubs should be as protected as anything else in your garden and there are a few ways that you can do that. Commercial fabric and tarp work very well because they can shield the shrubbery without touching it. So, when the snow falls, you won’t have ruined and drowned shrubs. You can even use upturned cardboard boxes and newspaper to keep your shrubbery protected.
Fruit & Veg
If you are currently growing your own organic garden, think about what you want from it. You won’t need to put it to bed, because there are cold-weather crops that are more than happy to grow for you. These include lettuce, spinach, broccoli, kale, turnips and cabbage. If you seed them in the early part of the Fall, they’ll keep going through the cold and be ready to pick later.
Your garden deserves every protection during the cold weather, and you should work hard to ensure that you don’t ruin all the hard work that you put in this year. Follow the steps for protecting annual plants as well as perennials and you won’t have to restart all over again when the spring months roll back around. Your garden can sleep through the winter while you stay warm in the house; it’s such a smart system!
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