5 Ways To Prepare Your Garden For Winter

Build Healthy Soil

Have you ever tried lasagna gardening? This is a method of producing rich soil by layering “green” and “brown” material that will decompose into wonderful garden soil. There are an endless number of ways to garden using this method. We suggest a layer of newspaper to choke out grass and weeds, then adding a layer of hay, followed by manure. Typically you’d want the hay to be decomposed, and the manure rotted, but since it’s fall, all of those processes will take place over the winter, so it’s fine to use fresh materials for this layer. Next, leaves and compost, followed by more hay and manure. Keep layering in this fashion. By spring, you’ll have the healthiest, highest producing garden around!

Winterize Your Tools

Don’t just shove your tools into the shed until spring! Take the time to clean the dirt off of your tools, and sharpen your shovels and rakes with a whet stone. You can also remove splinters from wooden handles using fine sandpaper, and rubbing the sanded handle with a rag dipped in linseed oil. To prevent rust, rub a small amount of oil on the metal parts of tools, or store in a bucket of sand mixed with a bit of oil.

Hardscaping Projects

If you’ve been thinking about a new retaining wall, raised garden bed, or garden edging, fall is the perfect time to start these projects! The cooler temps are perfect for these labor intensive projects, plus you won’t have to work around a full garden of blooming plants. Win win!

Did we miss anything? What do you do every year to prepare your garden for winter? Share with us in the comments below!