Winter Garden Tips

As winter arrives you may find it a struggle to leave that comfy spot on the couch in front of the fire to tend to the garden, but just a little bit of winter planning can get your garden ready for a great year ahead.

New planting

Winter is a good time for planting bare-rooted shrubs, but try to avoid planting when the ground is wet and freezing. If you have planted a new tree, make sure you stake it well with a 3ft stake, which should be enough to hold the base of the tree and prevent the roots being rocked loose in high winds.. 

Mulch

Mulch doesn't just block weeds and make your garden look nice, it can also help keep the soil warm and moist. A healthy layer of mulch can go a long way toward protecting roots and bulbs from any encroaching frost in the Winter months.

Veg

A good variety of crops actually grow better during the cooler months, so you could try planting cold-season veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, peas, and Brussels sprouts now. It's also worth noting that parsnips taste better after a touch of frost, but if you don’t want to be fighting off the cold rain, wind and snow to ge them out the ground then lift them now and store them in boxes of sand to keep them disease-free throughout the winter.

Weed Control

This time of year can be perfect for starting to eliminate weeds from your garden. If there's a warm spell, weed seeds will be the first to germinate. As soon as you see weed sprouts appear, pull them up in order to get a head start on your garden maintenance.

Protect Young Trees & Shrubs

Now is the time to protect any young shrubs living in your garden, and natural materials like burlap are ideal for protecting large plants from frost. Just make sure to remove the material as soon as the temperature rises back above freezing or you might accidentally force your trees and shrubs out of dormancy in the middle of winter!

Then before you know it, spring will be knocking on your door and your garden will be looking pretty and plentiful!