Winter can be challenging for growing produce as harsh weather conditions, and low temperatures can damage plants and soil. We want to ensure your garden thrives all year round, including during the colder winter months.
Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a total beginner, there are always new things to learn about your garden, especially when we consider the environmental changes we are all experiencing to some degree. Read on to learn how you can protect your garden this winter.
Let’s get to it. Here are our six tips that you should keep in mind as we approach winter:
1. Start with a blank canvas
An annual clean-up will do wonders for your garden! Firstly, pick or remove any remaining Summer crops from your garden, including weeds. Compost anything that can be composted, and begin preparing your soil for your winter vegetables. Adding compost will provide food for organisms that will in turn, feed your soil and plants. Remember, quality compost is important to ensure you are not bringing pathogens to your plot.
2. Create healthy soil
We encourage adding beneficial microorganisms when preparing your winter garden beds. Products like Superzyme and Rootella will enhance soil life and re-introduce organisms that plants require to function normally. Additionally, Superzyme contains beneficial bacteria and fungi that can improve soil structure, texture, and nutrient levels.
3. Protect your plants from frost
Yes, your plants get cold too! It is a common occurrence during the winter months for those regions susceptible to frosts. When the temperature drops below freezing, the water inside the plant’s cells freezes, causing the cells to rupture and the plant to die. However, don’t panic. There are ways you can protect your plants from frost damage.Â
One way is to cover your plants with a frost cloth or blanket. Use draped over hoops or stakes and touching the ground to provide insulation from frost and the added advantage of allowing sunlight and air to circulate while providing a barrier against pests.
4. Water your garden appropriately
In winter, plants don’t require as much water as in the warmer months. However, it is still important to keep the soil moist, as dry soil can cause roots to die off.
We recommend watering your plants once a week, preferably in the morning, allowing them to dry before the temperature drops during the night, which can cause them to freeze. Obviously, if it rains that week, jobs done. Rootella, mycorrhizal fungi, increases water uptake by plants and can provide protection during extremes of weather from drought to very wet conditions.
5. Only plant winter crops
This is KEY! Winter is a great time to plant your root vegetables for those delicious winter roasts. Think potatoes, swede, carrots, beets and garlic all of which thrive in the cooler temperature. Others, such as leek and brussel sprouts have a high survival rate when competing with frost and with the addition of beneficial organisms and fungi, you can grow nutrient-dense, tasty crops all year round.
6. Prune
Pruning is important to remove any deadwood, diseased or damaged plant parts, preventing the spread of disease and allowing sunlight and air to circulate around all parts of the plant. In the autumn, you can prune and thin out fruit bushes such as blueberries and also any flowering trees, shrubs or vines that have finished blooming.
Pruning encourages strong growth and increases flower and fruit production. If you have fruit trees, such as apples, pears or plums, prune mid-winter to encourage a good crop of fruit.
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