Preparing Plants and Trees for the Cold, Winter Months

With the cold, winter months approaching, it is time to start thinking about protecting your outdoor plants and trees from the harsh winds and cold. It is a rather simple task and should not take you more than a day or two to complete.

The first step in preparing your plants is to clean up around them. Clean up any plant debris and cut back perennials. Pull any weed to prevent them from seeding come the spring time. Harvest any vegetables that are remaining. If they are still ripe, place them on a windowsill for a few days. Removing broken and dead tree limbs will allow for more sunlight during sunny winter days. Doing this will also prevent them from falling and damaging plants. Plant and leaf debris can be added to a compost pile for use in your spring garden.

Adding five inches of mulch to your plants and garden help them to adjust to the cooler temperature changes without freezing. Pine needles, shredded bark and leaves that roll up instead of lay flat are great for garden mulch. Be sure to give the ground a good watering before adding mulch.

Mow around trees and shrubs to prevent little critters from making homes in and near them. Tree trunks, particularly young trees, can be painted with a white latex paint or wrapped to protect them from freezing.

For all those pots that have plants in them, which you just did not get around to putting in the ground, you have a few choices. Dig holes and place the pots in them, then add a good amount of mulch to them, you can also put them in a good ventilated area. A garage or porch is an ideal place, as long as plants can still get sunlight.

All those indoor plants that were brought outside can be brought back in until spring time.

Now that your garden in picked up and plants and trees are prepared the last thing to do it take care of your gardening tools. Clean each garden tool along with lawn mower and weed eater and place in a spot were they will be rain and snow free. Drain garden hoses, roll them up and put away as well.

With your plants and trees prepared for winter time, you can relax and now you will have a great garden come spring. All that is left to do is rake, if more leaves fall and keep an eye out for fallen branches. Other than that you are done with your gardening, for now anyway.

sources
Missoula.com
www.belaonline.com