Gardening in Winter

Just because the weather has gone cold and the nights have drawn in doesn’t mean you have to completely neglect your garden until the springtime. Winter months can also be a good time instigate and start new plans for your garden into the new year, demand across the board is lower so getting any big projects done is a little bit easier. The first thing to consider is your soil. Provided the ground isn’t rock solid, you should be able to use a fork to turn it over. This loosens up the soil, improving it. This also give you the opportunity to do some much needed weeding, and to add any manure or compost to the mix to make it a better prospect into the Spring. Another big step to make over the winter months is to do a general check-up of things. With more harsh weather on the way, it would be smart to check any outbuildings like sheds or greenhouses for any structural deficiencies. Also, any fences, walls, hedges at the perimeter should be checked to ensure they are structurally safe. It’s in the winter months that much more damaging weather like wind, hail and show are likely to cause big problems. In the winter months, lawn care is actually more important than you might think. The grass will grow more slowly than in the warmer months, so cut it less frequently and cut to only the top third off. Weeding is also important, this needs to be done regularly. Otherwise, a lot of the advice is what not to do. Don’t fertilise or try and encourage growth over the winter months, the reason grass grows at a slower rate is because it’s less well built for the cold. Any accelerated growth could actually be detrimental to the grass, it could even kill it. If you’re looking to grow crops, it doesn’t just have to be a summer activity either. Obviously, fruit related crops like tomatoes won’t work in the winter months, but if you focus on leaves and stems, you can still have success as they work with the cold. Great examples of vegetables to grow over the winter are things like garlic, onions and peas. There are a many more an each require certain different things to grow at an optimum rate, especially during the winter. Overall, while gardening in the winter will certainly become less of a priority as the weather gets worse, the temperatures go down and the nights draw in, it doesn’t mean that you have to completely neglect your garden until the spring. For some, it will just be some basic moves to ensure that your garden is in a good state to begin a run in the Spring, but if you’re feeling extra adventurous there is no reason why you cannot evolve your garden into a rotating, year round device. If you would like to find out more information, read this blog about gardening in winter.

winter gardening