Get Your Garden Ready for Winter

Country Living



Now that it's getting cold (and rainy!), it's time to get your garden ready for a long winter nap. Here's our checklist of the 10 things you should do before the frost sets in, so your precious flowers and plants will be up and growing as soon as spring hits.


10 MUST-DO TASKS

1. PLANT BULBS AND PERENNIALS. Fall is the time to place spring bulbs in the ground and plant bare-root roses, deciduous trees and shrubs, and evergreens.


2. TIDY BEDS. Cut back spent perennials after the first frost and pull up annuals. Leave some plants with beautiful seed heads, such as grasses and sedums, for winter interest and to help feed the birds.


3. WEED. Get a head start on spring, when weeds are potentially most harmful, by ridding beds of weeds in fall. Be certain to pull the entire root out of the ground. Avoid using harmful pesticides, and get ideas for safe pest control from motherearthnews.com.


4. MOW THE LAWN. Give your lawn a final cut before winter. Apply corn gluten, which inhibits weeds and fertilizes lightly.


5. ADD MULCH. Give perennials an extra layer of protection in winter by mulching. Wait to apply mulch until after the first frost to help prevent rodents from nesting in it.


6. APPLY ORGANIC FERTILIZER AND COMPOST. Give plants food in late fall so they will be well-nourished in early spring after the winter thaw.


7. PROTECT TENDER PLANTS. Wrap tender plants, such as fig trees or boxwood, to protect them from harsh winter conditions. Bring indoors any potted plants that you want to keep for years to come.


8. COLLECT SEEDS. Seed saving is a thrifty and easy way to get a head start on next year's garden. It is also important in preserving treasured heirloom varieties. If you want to buy new seeds for next year, try a site like Burpees.com that has a wide variety.


9. DISINFECT POTS. Clean pots with a coarse brush to remove all traces of soil that could harbor harmful bacteria and disease. Let terra-cotta pots dry out completely before storing them.


10. CLEAN AND SHARPEN TOOLS. Prevent disease by keeping tools cleaned and sharpened.


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