Winterize Your Garden

The growing season may be over, but that doesn't mean your work is done. It's important to get your garden in shape before the start of winter in order to guarantee a great start to next year's growing season.

• Clean out annual and vegetable beds. You will find that plant pathogens and insects can over-winter in the garden on infected plant debris, therefore do a thorough clean-up and tilling of the soil in areas where you've had issues. Throw out any plants you suspect to be diseased or infested with bugs. The rest you can add to the compost pile. Do one last weeding and discard any weeds that have seeds on them.
• Cut perennials back almost to the ground -- unless they add charm to your garden in winter. If you don’t think you will have time to mulch, don’t cut back the old plants, as the stalks and leaves will give some protection to the roots.
• Plan next year's garden. After ridding your garden of debris, plan where you want to put next year's plants and vegetables. Take a pad with you out to the garden and draw a diagram of your beds and note where the perennials are planted so you can avoid damaging them in the spring while they lie dormant. This is also a good time to reflect on the growing season and make notes about what worked and what didn’t. Make a sketch of where you want to put all your plants & vegetables in the spring.
• Dig up tender bulbs. Cannas, caladiums, tuberous begonias, gladiolus, dahlias and most other summer-blooming bulbs don't survive the winter in USDA Zone 9 and colder. Dig them up as the foliage turns brown in early fall, trim off the remaining foliage or flower stalks, let them air dry for a week and then layer them in paper bags filled with peat moss or vermiculite. Store in a cool (65 degrees F or cooler), dry spot.
• Add organic material such as your own compost, manure, blood meal or bone meal to your soil to make it better for next year’s garden. Adding these elements in the fall will give your soil plenty of time to absorb all the healthy ingredients before planting in the spring.
• Apply a two- to four-inch layer of mulch on top of perennial, shrub and bulb beds after the ground freezes hard. Winter mulch serves as a blanket, protecting the plants from freezing winds and frost-heaving, moderating soil temperatures and conserving moisture. You can use chopped-up leaves from your lawn or other loose materials like pine needles, or straw for the perennials and shrubs. Don’t put down un-shredded leaves or other matter that compact easily because it will suffocate the plants. Incorporate them into the soil in the spring before planting.
• Clean and store tools, ceramic pots and birdbaths. Wash using soapy water. Rub off rust with very fine sandpaper or with fine steel wool. Dry with an absorbent rag. Sharpen cutting edges with a file or a whetstone. Wipe metal surfaces with an oiled cloth (vegetable oil is fine). To keep wooden handles from drying out, apply a light coat of boiled linseed oil and buff.

Submitted by Jim Meinhold, Chairperson of Ambler's Agriculture Committee. Email Gardening Tips to amblerfarm@gmail.com. We will publish selected tips in our newsletter and blog!