Nothing beats the feeling of watching your garden wake up from its winter dream with the first days of spring. The circle of life continues and everything comes alive again. Both the ground and the branches are filled with color and new growth making the entire garden look completely different from the barren land it resembled during long and dull winter days. However, this scenario is likely only if you took a great effort in preparing your garden for winter since without doing so, the chances of seeing the above-mentioned blooming changes in spring are severely reduced.
Trees
Although seemingly the toughest plants in the garden, trees need to be prepared for winter, as well. There are several things that need to be taken care of. First, if you have young trees in your garden, make sure you wrap their trunks, particularly if you live in a cold winter area. That will prevent bark splitting and consequently prevent trunks from freezing. Use paper tree wrap and start about an inch from the ground. Next, provide moisture throughout winter, especially before really cold days begin. Also, add a layer of mulch to the beds after the first hard freeze. This will keep a more even temperature during the winter. Lastly, keep in mind that autumn is not the best time for pruning.
Weeds
Regardless of where the weeds are located, in your vegetable garden, around the trees or on your lawn, prior to winter is the best time to remove them, particularly those that are spread by seed. If you do not do it now, you will have a significantly harder task of doing so in spring when they are spread all through your garden. Apart from pulling them, use herbicides to further eliminate them, especially if you have perennial weeds since it would be more efficient than doing it in the summer.
Compost renewal
You can never get enough compost; every avid gardener will vouch for this. All these preparations for winter will require the use of compost, but at the same time provide new quantities. Use the opportunity and renew your current quantities. Clear out last year’s compost and fill the bins with new one. If any of the old one remains, make sure you turn it upside down and stir it before adding this year’s compost in order to create a compact nutritive whole for future use.
Lawn preparation
After you removed weeds from it, continue the lawn winter preparations. Start by aerating it. After you completed it, spread compost all around the turf, particularly at those spots where plugs were heavily removed by aeration. If any bare spots occurred, reseed them. Make sure you add mulch to prevent the birds from browsing. Next, fertilize the lawn; this will strengthen it for winter. Continue to mow the lawn until the grass turns brown and water it regularly. If you have any dilemma or need assistance with these activities, it is strongly advisable to contact professional gardening services and resolve any potential issues.
Gardening equipment conservation
Once you completed all winter preparations, thoroughly clean all your garden tools and machinery. They will probably remain intact during the winter, at least the majority of it will. In order to be able to use them the next season, they need to be conserved during the winter. Sharpen those tools that need it, grease the metal parts and use linseed oil to protect the wooden ones, and your gardening equipment will be ready for use once the spring comes again.
Yes, preparing the garden for winter is a complex and demanding task. However, all the effort made is necessary in order for it to shine its best light when spring finally arrives. And we all know how important the blooming season is for the health and appearance of the garden throughout the year.
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