Around this time of year, you might think that you have less to do in the garden than throughout spring, summer, and fall. But this isn’t necessarily the case. The winter is a fantastic time to make sure you’ve got all of your ducks in a row when it comes to prepping your garden for the rest of the year.
Here are a few things to get ready for planting in spring.
Plant Propagation
One of the best things you can do in the winter is to propagate your plants. What does this mean?
Propagation is when you germinate your seeds in a controlled environment. You ideally want to germinate them in a warm, moist place with enough light for the seedling to start growing.
This is a great practice to get into because it gives you a headstart in your planting. Instead of waiting for the weather to be warm enough for your seedlings to survive, you can start them off during the winter.
Set your seeds in an appropriate medium, whether it’s soil or even damp paper towels until they sprout and germinate. You can then plant them in small propagation trays where they can grow from seedlings into small plants. Once the plants are hardy enough and you’re into spring, you can plant them outside.
This allows you to get a longer harvest time as your plants mature more quickly. They’re also more likely to survive into adulthood, as they’re stronger than plants you put outside from the getgo.
Maintaining Your Tools
Often, the work in your garden dies down over the winter as your plants die back. If you have trees and large bushes, this is a good time to prune them. You might have to keep your garden clear of any debris so it’s nice and tidy, but much of the hard work is largely left for longer and warmer days.
However, as we approach the spring, you will notice your plants waking up a bit. Your grass might start growing, leaves and buds might appear on your trees, and it’s a good idea to look at your tools and make sure they’re in good condition for when you want to use them again.
Check that your tools aren’t rusty or dirty. Ideally, you should clean them after use and store them in a garden shed so they’re safe, but it’s still worth checking them out. This might also be a good time to clean your lawnmower’s carburetor if you have a petrol-powered mower, so it’s safe and ready to use when you do the first cut of your lawn.
Once you’ve cleaned, oiled, and treated your tools as needed, make sure that they’re put back where you can find them easily. This means that, when you come to work in your garden, you know where everything is and that it’s ready to use.
Planning Your Vegetable Garden
As a general rule, it’s good to have things growing in your garden throughout the year. You can plant root vegetables in the fall and they will grow over the winter, as will other vegetables that are winter-resistent. However, most vegetables grow best in the warmer months, so a lot of your vegetable garden might still be fallow over the winter.
However, this means that you have a great opportunity to plan your vegetable garden for the year to come.
For example, if you want to expand your vegetable garden, you can use this time to set up new vegetable plots. Don’t forget to leave space for walkways between your garden plots so that you can easily walk through your garden without standing on any plants that are trying to grow.
This is also a good time to lay down cardboard or weed membrane to kill any weeds that might grow on your prospective plots. This is much easier than trying to dig them all out when it comes time to plant, as you prevent them from growing as much in the first place.
If you plan on using raised beds, this might be the ideal time to build your raised beds and get them filled with soil. This means that you can be ready to plant when the time comes. Remember to use those trusty weed membranes to stop opportunistic weeds from making a home there.
Don’t forget to check your compost bin for any compost so that, when the time comes to plant your veggies, you can provide plenty of food for them.
