If you are like me you, you’re feeling conflicted about the November backyard: a single part of you’d like to get outdoors and catch some fresh air, the other part of you is tired at the end of the gardening season. Lucky us — you will find small yet important things to do if you want to brave the chill.
Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens
A sizable”small” thing would be to mulch. Common wisdom says to mulch new plants after the ground freezes to avoid frost heave, but I’m not a frequent sense kind of man. I mulch because I plant so that I don’t have to be outdoors when it’s cold.
But if you haven’t mulched new plants, do so now, and also freshen up those sun-soaked pathways where mulch decomposes faster. Go on and give your garden a fantastic watering too if you’ve had a dry summer and fall — this will increase the odds of plant survival when it’s a tough winter.
Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens
If you’ve been considering a new bed, a warm late fall afternoon is a great time to get you in. Dump at least half a foot of compost over the yard, or turn over the yard and then dump new soil on top. Over the winter it’s going to settle in and get incorporated by worms and microorganisms, setting up a prosperous spring planting.
Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens
Be sure to take water out pumps from fountains and flows . They’re powerful expensive to replace if they break and freeze. If you have a concrete fountain, then a waterproof cover works wonders to keep out freezing ice that could crack and shatter it.
Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens
Do not cut down the backyard. It will be better protected against ice and snow if left standing, will provide cover for wildlife and will look stunning in winter. Trust me.
Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens
Have any leftover plant containers? I use 10- to 20-gallon pots to start new plants. Many seeds will need to be moist and cold stratified — which means they need months of freezing, wet weather to break dormancy in spring. Toss some potting soil in a container (or some mixture of compost and clay ), drop in some seeds, then stir them up a bit on the ground surface and then leave until spring. You’ll have many free seedlings come April and May.
Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens
Most people consider daffodils, tulips and crocus bulb planting in fall, but miniature irisreticulataare another possibility and bloom in March here in USDA zone 5.
Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens
Right now birds have been sipping out food and water sources for winter, some even remember them year after year. Make sure you stick out birdseed consistently in your feeders, and…
Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens
… invest in a 60-100 watt birdbath heater. If you have both seed and open water in winter, I guarantee quite a show, and probably birds you’ve never noticed before (like this yellow-shafted northern trigger ).
Inform usWhat other winter preparation suggestions do you have?
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