How to Prepare Your Garden for Winter: A Job for Fall

The sun is still high and summer feels like it will never end. Your garden is growing and almost ready to be harvested. The county fair has come and gone, your family is eating well and getting ready for the new school year. It's time to start thinking of how you are going to put your garden to bed for the coming winter so next years crop will be just as good as it was this year.

1. Autumn is a great time to have your soil tested by the county extension office. They will give you information from the test on what your soil needs for healthy plants next season. They will provide information on how to rotate crops in your small garden so the soil will stay strong year after year.

2. Remove decaying plants and add them to the compost pile. This will protect your soil and plants from insects and diseases through the winter months. Don't wait for the first frost because once the ground freezes it will make the job a lot harder to do. Pace yourself section by section each day or weekend until the job is done.

3. Cultivate the soil by tilling it and turning it for the last of the season. This exposes insect eggs buried in the dirt for birds to feast on and to freeze in the coming cold months. It promotes a healthier garden the following spring and gives our little feathered friends an extra layer of fat.

4. When the first frost threatens pick the tender crops such as tomatoes, sweet peppers, cucumbers and such. For the hardier crops be sure to cover with a crop blanket or baskets to protect from freeze.

5. Round up all garden tools and clean well. Oil them with a preservative for winter storage. Drain and store all your hoses, nozzles and sprinklers before they freeze and break. Put away any other gardening items not in use for the next season.

6. Now is the time to plant fall crops such as Jerusalem artichokes, rhubarb, horseradish and asparagus. Prepare ground for plants such as bulbs like daffodils, crocuses, tulips, lilies of the valley and irises by digging in bone meal throughout the dirt. This is also a good time to plant garlic. Cover garden and plants with mulched leaves for freeze protection.

7. Save seeds for next season. Dry by natural air and place in a container. Keep in a cool, dry place until ready to plant the following spring.

Now you are ready to relax. Find a place in the sun on a cool fall day and read. Your garden is asleep and won't wake until the first rays of spring next year. But you are ready for the winter, hot cocoa and good food from the garden you just said good night too. It just gets better each year.