You have put in many hours throughout the summer producing a wonderful harvest from your garden. It was worth it, but now you want to rest. Wait. There is just one more thing you need to do. You want to prepare your garden so that it also can get a good rest during the winter and be ready to start again in the Spring. Here are some tips to help you complete this annual cycle.
As cold temperatures come, some plants survive and produce longer than others. But once they have all ceased producing, it is time to put them all to bed. If you have a rototiller, or if a farmer will plow it for you, this will mix the dead foliage and roots back into the soil, where they will decay and enrich the soil, getting it ready for its next crop. You may want to leave some areas untilled, though, because some vegetables will overwinter nicely and revive in the Spring. Rhubarb and kale are a couple of vegetables that will overwinter.
Some people advise sprinkling ammonium sulfate over the bare garden, before the first hard freeze.
Regardless of what you apply, it is a good idea to apply a good “feeding” before winter, so the soil will be rich at the beginning of Spring. You can apply compost and till it in, or some leftover mulch that is shredded by tilling. Or some composted manure. In some localities you may be able to plant a winter crop of rye that will help the soil. This will protect the ground from runoff when the snows melt in Spring.
As part of putting the garden to bed, you may want to cover it with a “blanket” of some kind of mulch that will decay and enrich the ground as well as protecting it.
Some gardeners and farmers like to visit the untilled land during the winter instead of ignoring it. A stroll around the sleeping garden ground will keep you in touch with the land and keep alive your expectations for the Spring.
Before the ground freezes, you may want to dig up a soil sample from two or three places in your garden and have these analyzed. Different vegetables deplete the soil in different ways. Knowing the soil analysis will help you decide what to plant where in the spring. It can also help you know whether you need to sprinkle a little lime or take some other measure to restore soil balance.
This task of preparing for the winter rest will not take a lot of time. It will give you a sense of completion. You will know the garden will be ready in the Spring. It will increase next summer’s crop of fresh vegetables. It will keep your garden soil from developing deficiencies. So much depends on that! So if you have not yet made it a habit to go through this process of putting the garden to bed for the winter, this year is the time to start.
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