While your garden may be sleeping for most of the coming winter, plenty of tasks can be done to prepare for next spring. It may not seem like it, but this is the perfect time to begin preparing the garden for a dynamic growing season next year. Now is the time to give your garden a head start by taking these important steps to winterize your garden:
1. Clean up. Remove all the debris from summer crops (it's great to use in your compost pile). Use a rake to remove smaller debris and turn the soil. Debris removal prevents garden pests from taking hold in your garden.
2. Test your soil. Now that your garden is empty, it's a good time to do a soil test for pH levels and mineral content. Use this information to rebuild your soil over the winter so your garden will be a fertile growing ground for next year. Read more about increasing the minerals in your garden soil here.
3. Plant a cover crop. Cover crops also provide ground protection and organic material you can turn into the soil next year.Clover is an excellent cover crop. It's inexpensive, easy to grow and fixes the nitrogen in the soil. Winter rye and field peas are also good options.
4. Protect your soil. Aside from a cover crop, you can also protect your garden soil with mulch. Spread a thick layer of grass clippings, compost, salt marsh hay, or other organic material over your garden bed. This protects soil from weeds and cold, and help it retain moisture.
5. Reflect and plan. Now is the time to put your feet up and make time for reflection. What worked in your garden this year? What flopped? Did you plant too much of one crop or not enough of another? Do you need more garden space for planting? There are probably some new types of seeds you'd like to try planting next year. Or maybe your garden was a little dry and you need a new plan for irrigation. And don't forget the importance of rotating your vegetable crops.
Spend a few of those chilly winter evenings planning what you can do to improve your garden next year. You'll be surprised how a little planning can make a big difference!
Looking for high quality heirloom and organic seeds? Check out the gardening section of my Resources page!
Need some help getting started with your garden? Not a problem! Join me and other real food bloggers on the Seeds of Change Facebook Page and follow Seeds of Change on Twitter to get the latest gardening tips and interact with a community of gardeners.
Please note: I wrote this post while participating in the Sowing Millions Project by Real Food Media on behalf of Seeds of Change. I did get some free goodies (i.e. seeds!), but of course my thoughts and opinions are my own and not those of Real Food Media or Seeds of Change.
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