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Putting the Garden to Bed

Remove any spent plant debris from your vegetable garden when getting ready for the dormant season; otherwise, pests will have a cozy place to overwinter.

Once the freezing temperatures set in and the plants in your flower and vegetable gardens are gone, it's time to put those gardens to bed for the winter. Investing a little time to complete a few simple tasks will not only prepare your garden to withstand the winter but also help plan for the following spring.

The Vegetable Garden

Figure A

In the vegetable garden, where virtually everything is an annual, prepare the soil by removing any dead plants and place them in the compost pile (if you have one). Then, turn the soil, preferably with a pitchfork (figure A). By turning the soil, you will also eliminate the most destructive insect pests by exposing them to the freezing temperatures. Continue down the length of each bed, stabbing and lifting the soil, then flipping it over.

Figure B

After flipping the soil over, loosen the subsoil with a broad fork (figure B) by stabbing it into the ground, and gently rocking it back and forth. Next, add compost. Start by forcing many holes in the soil. This way, the earthworms will pull the compost deep into the subsoil improving the overall health of all the soil.

Figure C

Figure D

Then, spread the compost in a four- to six-inch layer over each bed (figure C). As a finishing touch, place a six-inch deep blanket of shredded leaves on the bed (figure D) and top it off with a three-inch layer of straw. Sprinkle each bed with fertilizer to get the process going and give it a good soak with the water hose. Another option is to sow a winter-hardy green manure such as annual rye or Austrian winter peas.

Flower Beds

Figure E

Flower beds are treated in much the same way but since perennials and bulbs are present in flower beds, they require a little more caution. Wait until perennial top growth has completely died back before preparing flower beds. Once the top growth has died, cut any perennials in the bed back almost to ground level (figure E) and compost the cuttings that aren't disease infested. Note: Don't cut ornamental grasses back until late winter or early spring. Wait until new growth is beginning to emerge from the base of the plant.

Once the perennial top growth has been cut back, gently rake the existing mulch and add a thick layer of compost. Rake the mulch back in place and apply a brand new layer of mulch as well. The additional mulch will help to act as insulation for roots and bulbs during cold weather conditions and will help keep fragile shoots underground during periodic, warmer conditions.

Lawns

Lawns don't need much in the way of winter care, except for fall fertilizing. However, it is a good idea to keep the fallen leaves off the lawn, especially if the lawn remains green throughout much of the winter, because the leaves will mat down and kill the grass. Remove the leaves once or twice during the winter months, shred them and dump them into a compost pile. Or, if the leaves are dried out, use a mulching mower to convert them to mulch for the lawn.

Container Gardens

Container-grown plants and outside containers require special treatment during the winter. If an outdoor container plant dies after the first hard freeze, dump the plant, soil and all, into the compost pile. Use a machete to chop up the root ball for faster decomposition. In the case of hardy potted perennials, either transplant them to the garden or overwinter them in their pots by burying them up to their rims in the garden, or by piling leaves all around them. Keep leftover clay pots from cracking by stacking them and storing them in the garden shed, saving the task of cleaning them in the spring.

Gardening

Putting the Garden to Bed

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Putting the Garden to Bed

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