The middle to end of October is the seasonal crossover time, and as the nights of autumn start to feel chilly, now is the right time to start preparing your garden for the winter.
Early preparation is necessary, since ‘winterising’ doesn’t just make your garden look vibrant during the cold winter months, it also makes for easier work during the spring, ensuring that the less hardy plants are protected from the cold.
You can then bring you gardening work to a close when the weather forecast predicts frost, or the temperature starts to go below freezing on a regular basis, usually during November.
Essentially, as soon as your vegetable garden goes into final days of ‘production’ mode, you’ll need to begin preparations for the next season's plot. Too early? Not really. Here are some simple steps that will aid you in preparing your vegetable patches for the winter months. These will not only help to ensure the soil quality, but future plantings as well.
1. Remove the old
Get rid of the old plant growth and sow some cover crops. Planting cover crops help to prevent the valuable top soil from getting eroded and discourages the growth of harmful weeds. Also, cover crops supply organic nutrients during the springtime, when these are tilled back into the soil.
2. Prepare the ground
Second, work the soil. In case you decide not to plant a cover crop, you can also prepare the soil by eliminating the old growth and tilling the beds beneath. Make sure that you cover the earth with mulch, to prevent any weed growth in the winter.
3. Plan ahead
Use a winter garden to your advantage. Various root vegetables, like onions and carrots, grow well when the temperatures are low. It’s best to sow the seeds during late late summer/October latest, cutting off the green growth, if any, before winter. Remember to cover the vegetables with mulch. Similarly, leafy vegetables like cabbage and lettuce do well under a protective cover.
Winter preparations save you a lot of hassle in the long run. It gives protection to the younger and less hardy plants in severe cold, and saves you from having to undertake a more onerous garden preparation effort next spring.
It’s therefore hugely worthwhile spending some extra time in your garden during the milder autumn days, before the cold of winter comes rolling in.
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