Maintaining your Winter garden

To maintain one’s garden

 

During this time of contemplation, before the fresh burst of greenery begins and whilst the weather flip-flops back and forth, it pays to ensure the potency of one’s tools and plots. 

Continue to dig over existing beds and borders so that you incorporate as much organic matter and compost as you can. Forking over not only helps prepare the soil for spring, it helps reduce pests by exposing them to hungry birds.

 

  

 

Although temperatures were meant to start to rise this month, it’s hard to say how things will progress but I’ve heard warnings of at least frost and snow also in the coming weeks. You can protect vulnerable plants, pots and taps from frost by wrapping insulation such as garden fleece around them and try to make sure to that pots and containers are raised off the ground if possible. Tender trees and shrubs will thank you for a generous application of dry mulch to protect their roots from freezing conditions as well as enriching their surroundings.

 

      

 

Once the ground isn’t frozen, make new beds and borders - remove the top layer of growing vegetation and dig the ground over. If you are making a bed in the lawn, remove the turf and stack it upside down somewhere out of the way. After a year or two it will rot down into fantastic compost. Alternatively, you could chop it up and bury it upside down in the planting hole, a good spade’s depth down. Be aware that if you just dig it in, the buried grass will simply regrow whereas it won’t have a chance to at that depth. You'll find everything you need at Heritage Products.

 

Remember not to let leaves accumulate around alpines as they will die if left damp for long. When the weather allows, carry on clearing paths, check walls (but avoid concreting until there is no chance of frost), clean and insulate greenhouses and ensure that the heaters are working well. Even a little insulation will make a huge difference to your heating bill.

 

          

 

Cleaning and repairing your garden tools will save you a lot of grief and frustration for when you need to use them. A tool that hasn’t been maintained well will cost you money and waste your time. Also using the right tool for the right job will not only save time but save energy so that you can do more each day and suffer less from aches and pains from the more arduous chores. Book the lawn mower in for a service and check garden furniture for any rot. When it is warm enough, treat sheds, fences and trellises with wood preservative.