Preparing Your Garden for Winter

Growing Joy with Plants is the top Home & Garden podcast on Apple Podcasts about houseplants, gardening, and nature-inspired wellness. Plant killer turned Happy Plant Lady (me) Maria Failla , interviews experts on how to successfully care for plants and cultivate joy and calm through doing so.?

Each week this newsletter will share nature-inspired insights, tips, and actionable steps drawn from the conversations.?

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Here’s why putting your garden to bed for winter will help you grow joy, cultivate calm, weed anxiety…

Plant friends, can you believe another gardening season has come to a close?! As we prepare to put our gardens down for their winter naps, it's important to take time to reflect on the past growing season and start gathering inspiration for the next gardening season.

This week, I chatted with my new plant friend Resh Gala about closing up our gardens for winter. Resh is a fellow passionate gardener who shares tips from her own small backyard garden. We talk about the importance of giving gardens a dormant period and using sustainable practices like composting and cover crops.?

This episode is so much fun as the conversation evolves into a fun "garden girl talk" session! We compare notes on favorite varieties we grew this past season, productive plants we want to try again, and unusual edibles we hope to experiment with next year!

Take time in these final weeks of the season to assess what worked well and what didn't in your unique garden this past year. Record these reflections - you'll be thrilled you did when it's time to plan for spring planting! Here's a guide inspired by my chat with gardening guru Resh Gala.

Why Winter Prep is Important:

• Gardens, like us, need rest.
• Adding organic matter like compost enriches the soil over winter.
• Removing diseased debris reduces future issues.
• Covering soil with straw or leaves protects it.

Preparing Your Garden for Its Winter Rest

Before going into hibernation, our gardens need some care to prep them for the dormant winter months:

1. Remove any diseased plants and rotting fruit/veggie debris to prevent disease carryover and keep pests away

2. Cut back spent plants like tomatoes at soil level instead of yanking them out to allow roots to nourish the soil

3. Enrich beds with 2-3 inches of finished compost or other organic matter like shredded leaves

4. Consider planting cover crops like oats and peas which enrich and protect soil over winter with their roots

5. Add a final layer of straw or leaves to gently insulate beds once the ground has frozen

6. Drain hoses, clean and store tools properly, and turn off irrigation systems to avoid frost damage

Follow these steps now to put your garden to bed so it can awaken healthy and vibrant when spring arrives!

Planning for a Successful Garden

While our gardens are slumbering, we'll have time to dream up plans for next year's growing season. Here are some tips to get a headstart on 2024 garden planning:

• Review notes you made this year about varieties that thrived or struggled, environmental factors, etc. These will inform your layout and crop choices.
• Start browsing the seed catalogs arriving in your mailbox or online for inspiration on new varieties to try.
• Sketch a rough layout of beds and crops you want to grow next year. Consider rotating vegetable families to different beds to promote soil health.
• Set gardening goals for what you hope to achieve next season, like successfully growing garlic and saffron bulbs or adding more flowers for pollinators.

The blank slate of a new year is so motivating. Take advantage of the winter downtime to dream up your most amazing garden yet for next year!

The end of one growing season just marks the beginning of the next. Be sure to give your garden the rest it needs this winter. As you reflect on 2023 and look ahead to spring, I hope you feel energized and excited to continue on this rewarding journey of nurturing nature's bounty in your backyard.

What were your top three gardening successes this season? And any particular challenges you faced?

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