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You are here: Home / Garden / Preparing Your Garden for Winter

Preparing Your Garden for Winter

October 4, 2022 by HG&H Staff Leave a Comment

A young man and woman take a break on their family hobby farm.

Preparing your garden for winter is a fall activity for millions of gardeners and homeowners. If you are reading this story right now, you are in good company!

Most people tend to think of spring when it comes to planting and gardening. However, autumn is a great time to get a head start on your garden for the following year. Here are a few things you should consider when preparing your garden for those cold winter months.

Trim Hedges and Shrubs

Preparing your garden for winter can begin with trimming your hedges and shrubs. The growth rate of plants slows down due to the cooler temperatures and reduced daylight.  If you complete some prep during autumn, you won’t be faced with a lot of yard tasks during the winter.

Pruning your hedges and shrubs in autumn makes them less vulnerable to freezing. And autumn is not bird nesting season, which is an important consideration when cutting back hedgerows.

a man uses a milwaukee cordless electric hedge trimmer

Working with heavy power tools can be dangerous, so you may want to opt for a battery-powered cordless hedge trimmer. A cordless electric hedge trimmer is much lighter than a gas-powered model.

Using a lighter tool will also be much better if you have taller hedges that require a ladder. If you aren’t comfortable doing this job on your own, you are sure to find a professional who will be able to complete the task.

Preparing Your Garden for Winter: Clean Out Compost Bins

All of the material composted over the summer is likely to be ready to go during late autumn. So, use it to fertilize your lawns and top dress your garden and flower beds. Using up all your previous compost makes room for another batch, which can usually be insulated against the winter cold.

Build up your autumn compost heap with plenty of autumn leaves and garden waste. This will keep the microbes working throughout the colder months, resulting in great compost for spring and summer.

Consider Fall Planting

Autumn is the perfect time to plant evergreens due to the cooler air and warm soil. You could opt for bay or holly hedges, and you can plant a variety of conifer trees. If you want to fill gaps in your border then you could plant sarcococca, which will give your garden beautifully glossy leaves during winter. Check out the selection at Nature Hills Nursery.

preparing your garden for winter includes planting shrubs and trees in the fall

Planting in autumn gives trees an extra growing season before the stress of summer, so as long as the ground isn’t frozen solid you can get planting.

Amend Your Soil in Preparation for Spring

Autumn is the perfect time to add extras to your soil such as manure or compost. While many people reserve this activity for spring, amending your soil in autumn gives the nutrients time to break down. This results in enriched soil for the start of next year.

In preparing your garden for winter, thoroughly water your garden soil. Cover any bare soil with organic matter like compost, manure, or leaves to feed the soil and stop erosion.

Maintain Your Tools to Prepare Your Garden for Winter

While you should be consistently maintaining your tools, it can be difficult when you are constantly using them during spring and summer. So, take the time now to remove debris and rust with a wire brush. Oil the metal parts of your tools to prevent rust during winter.

Wooden tool handles can be cleaned and protected with a light coating of oil. This will ensure that your tools overwinter nicely. You will have a head start on your gardening when spring arrives!

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Filed Under: Garden Tagged With: amend, autumn, battery, bins, compost, cordless, electric, fall, garden, hedge, maintain, Milwaukee, planting, powered, preparation, prepare, preparing, shrubs, soil, tools, trim, trimmer, winter, your

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