Put Your Gardens to bed for the Winter

By Murray Anderson

You know fall is here by the cool temperatures in the morning and all the bright colorful leaves on the trees. However, fall doesn't mean gardening is over for the year. In fact, fall is the time to get out into your garden and put it to bed properly so it's ready for next spring. The work you do at this time of year will pay off when your garden comes up strong and healthy next spring. So, what should you do to make sure your garden is a thing of beauty next year? Flower and vegetable gardens • Dig out your spent annual flowers and vegetables. Compost the healthy ones, but make sure you throw out any that have insect infestations or show signs of disease. • Cut your perennial flowers back to ground level, then top dress them with about an inch of compost. Consider leaving any ornamental grasses or perennials with seed heads both for appearance and so the birds can find a quick meal during the winter. • Dig out any tender summer bulbs like dahlias and store them in a dry area (where the squirrels won't be able to get at them). • If you're putting in spring flowering bulbs like daffodils or tulips put them in about six weeks before you expect the ground to freeze. • Fall is the best time to give your gardens a really good weeding (particularly near the edges where you've been fertilizing the weeds all summer). Throw the weeds out in your trash. You don’t want to compost weeds or you run the risk of getting their seeds into your compost and you'll be pulling them out again next year. • While you're working around the sides of your beds, take the time to edge them. A clean sharp edge not only makes your garden look better, it makes it easier to keep grass from migrating into the beds. • Mulch the fallen leaves from your lawn (just run your lawn mower over them) and use them as winter cover on your beds or put the chopped up leaves directly into your composter. • Fall is a good time to have your garden soil tested--many garden centers can arrange to test your soil. Once you get your results, you can dig in the slow reacting soil amendments so they have all winter to work. Trees and Shrubs • Keep on watering your trees right up until the ground freezes. Trees need to store moisture to stay healthy during the long cold months. Since evergreens don't lose their leaves, they continue to give of moisture (transpire) all winter so they need lots of water in the fall. • If you're thinking of transplanting or moving some trees or shrubs, fall is a good time to do it. Do the transplants at least a month before the ground freezes so the roots have a chance to establish themselves in the new location. Make sure you give the transplants a nice home with lots of fresh topsoil or compost in the hole. You can even do some new planting in the fall if you can find the shrubs or trees you are looking for at your garden center. • Put tree guards around the trunks of any newly planted trees (wire or plastic mesh will do fine). Just make sure you extend it up above the snow line so gnawing animals like mice or rabbits won’t make a meal of the tree bark. • Build some wooden teepees to go over any shrubs that are under eaves or where snow tends to accumulate. They'll make sure the shrubs don't end up getting bent over or broken by the weight of the snow. Finally, don't forget to give your lawn a final cut to about 2" high to reduce the chance of snow mould getting a hold on your lawn. Spread some winter fertilizer (or top dress the entire lawn) and your gardens are ready for winter. Better yet, they're ready for next spring! More seasonal gardening articles

Murray Anderson is an experienced freelance writer. His work has covered a wide range of topics, but he specializes in home maintenance and how-to's. He has more than 500 articles published on the web, as well as print magazines and newspapers in both the United States and Canada.