5 Ways To Prepare Your Garden For Winter

As autumn weather rolls in and temperatures drop, our gardening is coming to an end for another year. Even though we won’t be spending the afternoons planting, watering, and harvesting, the well seasoned gardener knows that our job isn’t done just yet! There are plenty of things left to do to prepare your garden for the cold weather ahead in the winter months. While this work can seem tedious and unfruitful, it’s so worth the effort to prepare for next spring! We like to use this time to reflect upon the gardening successes of the past year, and dream about ways to expand and renew for next year’s garden! Go ahead and take a look at these 5 things every gardener should do to prepare for winter.

Collect The Compost

You know what this means – raking, weeding, and mowing. Yes, mowing! Sometimes we get so busy in the garden, we forget to take care of the lawn. Go ahead and lower your blade to give the grass a nice short cut for the winter. It can be helpful to separate your compost into three piles: one pile for slow composting, woody stemmed plants, one pile for leafy greens, and a third pile for invasive weeds you’re trying to get rid of. Keep this last pile outside of the fence.

Cover Tender Bulbs And Perennials

Have some extra leaves that won’t fit into the compost pile? Use them as mulch to cover delicate plants and protect them from the winter frost. Be careful not to mulch too early, as even just a few days of warm weather can ruin plants.