Tidying Up

The first thing I do when putting the garden to bed for winter (usually just before Halloween) is to walk through it, collecting all the stakes, small trellises, and tomato cages. Garden décor and stake lights are next, followed by irrigation hoses, watering cans, bird baths, and any other unnatural movable part of the garden. Put these items away under cover for winter. Remove all garden debris and add it to the compost bin.

Tackling Annuals

As the weather gets colder, the geraniums, impatiens, and other annuals will start to die back. Move annuals that can be wintered over, like begonias or geraniums, undercover to dry out. Empty the hanging baskets and other pots. Use the soil from these pots to plant perennials in different pots, or use it as a top dressing for the garden beds. This adds another layer of warmth for the cold days ahead.

Handling Perennials

Leave perennials with seedheads, such as coneflowers or rudbeckia, until the spring to clean up. The birds enjoy them through the winter. For other perennials, I use the chop-and-drop method, which involves cutting off the unruly parts and letting them lie on the ground where they fall. This provides shelter for wintering insects and, as the organic matter decays, creates food for the microbial life in the soil.

Pruning

Pruning stimulates a tree, shrub, or perennial, such as a rose, to send out new shoots. New growth produced now is unlikely to survive. Pruning is for springtime.

Watering

It may seem counterintuitive to water the garden thoroughly in the fall, but I do. A deep soak of water now, especially for the perennials in containers, will make sure the ground stays moist throughout the winter, preventing cold erosion.

Protect Plants

In cold areas, encasing low-growing roses with a cylinder of chicken wire or mesh and filling the enclosure with leaves helps protect the plant from the cold. Wrap other tender shrubs and higher-growing roses in burlap or agricultural fabric. Just don’t use plastic! Plastic doesn’t breathe and can result in high temperatures that will “cook” the plant. Yikes! .

Containers

Bring perennials in containers undercover on a patio or under the eaves. For smaller perennial plants in containers, dig a hole in a remote corner of the garden and bury the pot, allowing the earth to act as an insulating blanket.

The Veggie Patch

Harvest any remaining vegetables before the first frost. Remove old pea and bean stocks to prevent pests and diseases from overwintering, and cover the vegetable garden with leaf mulch or leaf mold.

Mulching and Amending the Soil

A three-inch layer of raked leaves or leaf mold is the ultimate protection for the garden in the winter. You can also apply several inches of well-rotted compost. Mulch and compost prevent soil erosion and help maintain a consistent temperature for plant roots. This process also ensures a steady flow of nutrients throughout the winter. Everything gets a layer, even the plants in containers!

Cover Crops

If you prefer to skip mulching or adding compost, consider planting cover crops, such as winter rye. Cover crops are an essential component of regenerative growing techniquesas they prevent soil erosion, nourish the soil, and suppress weeds. In the spring, turn these crops into the soil for an extra nutritional boost.

It’s a long to-do list, but it pays off come spring!