Five Easy Tips for Preparing the Garden for Winter

As the weather turns cold, it can be harder to keep a good watch over the garden.  As outdoor activities wind down and we prepare to enjoy cozy winter days inside, we also want to ensure that the gardens we worked so hard to cultivate during our growing season can rest well. 


Here are five easy tips for preparing the garden for winter.  These things do not need to be done at the same time but completing at some point prior to leaving the garden to rest over the cold winter months is ideal. 

1| Harvest where needed including seeds from veggies, herbs and flowers

 

2| Pull and either compost or discard any lingering spent plants

3| Cut back overgrown perennials such as woody herbs (rosemary, oregano and sage), flowers and ornamental grasses

4| Turn the soil and then cover with some type of mulch (heavy layer of leaves, straw, wood chips)

5| Dismantle and store trellises and also take in any weather sensitive pots like terracotta    Note: This is also a great time to gather and clear garden tools