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Winter is coming, but don’t stress!
Prepping your garden beds for the cold season can be easy.
This guide shows you how to do it with almost no effort.
Keep your garden healthy and ready for spring.
Let’s get started!
Clear Out Old Plants
Start by pulling out any old plants and weeds. Leaving them in can make your garden look messy and can even spread diseases to next year’s crops.
Don’t worry; you don’t have to be super thorough. Just get the big stuff out.
Toss them in the compost if they’re not diseased. If they are, it’s best to throw them in the trash instead.
Mulch Away
Spread a thick layer of mulch over your garden beds. Use materials like straw, leaves, or wood chips.
Mulch helps to keep the soil warm and stops weeds from growing. Plus, it will break down over the winter, adding nutrients back into the soil.
You don’t need to be fancy about it; just spread it around until you’ve got a few inches covering everything.
Cover the Soil
If you don’t want to mulch, you can cover your garden beds with a tarp or a thick layer of newspaper. This keeps the soil from eroding and stops those pesky weeds from popping up.
Just lay it down and secure it with rocks or stakes. Come spring, you can just pull it off and start planting again.
Plant Cover Crops
If you have a bit more energy, consider planting cover crops like clover or rye. These plants will grow over the winter and help improve your soil.
They add nutrients and prevent erosion. Once spring rolls around, you can just till them into the soil.
It’s a bit more work now but worth it in the long run.
Water One Last Time
Give your garden beds a good soak before the first big freeze. This helps protect plant roots and keeps the soil from drying out.
Don’t go overboard—just enough to moisten the top few inches of soil. After that, you can turn off your irrigation and store your hoses for the winter.
Protect Perennials
If you have perennial plants, those that come back year after year, cover their bases with mulch. This helps keep their roots warm and safe from the freezing temperatures.
You can also use cloches or plant covers for extra protection. They’ll thank you in the spring by growing back happier and healthier!
Store Garden Tools
Now’s the time to clean and store your garden tools. Wash off any dirt and get them nice and dry to prevent rust.
Put them in a dry, safe place so they’ll be ready to go when you need them next year. Trust me, you don’t want to deal with rusty tools in the spring.
Plan for Next Year
Take a few minutes to make some notes. What worked well this year, and what didn’t?
Sketch out a rough plan for next year’s garden. This way, when the warmer weather comes back, you’ll be ready to hit the ground running.
Planning ahead can make next year’s gardening even more successful!