Let’s talk about 5 steps you can take now to prepare your garden for winter. Plan ahead so you’re not stuck out in the cold.

1. Remove dead and unwanted plants now. This is the time that I walk around my yard with my wheelbarrow and trim off dead branches before my plants have gone dormant and I can’t remember where they were. I pull out plants that aren’t thriving or that I no longer want, and I pull weeds that could go to seed and multiply in the spring.

Watch this video for more tips and tricks!

2. Use fallen leaves and pine needles! They make a great protective mulch and can be added to compost piles for added nutrients.

The pollinators will thank you too!

Why you should LEAVE THE LEAVES.

3. Make a list of tender plants, potted plants, and tropicals that you will need to dig up, cover to protect, or bring indoors. Stick your list somewhere easy to access and then you’ll know exactly what to grab or cover on cold nights without accidentally forgetting something!

How & When

4. Plan ahead to protect! Gather frost cloth, old blankets and clothes pins or duct tape (or whatever you use to hold them in place) and put them somewhere easy to access. (Remember not to cover your tender plants with plastic or trash bags.) Don’t forget your sprinklers and exterior spigots. Purchase or locate covers for them. Wrap any valves that need to be protected. Locate and make a note of where to turn off the water in case of a break in the future. Take down solar sprinklers and drain things now that could freeze and break like ceramic bird baths, rain gauges, and yard decorations.

DIY Raised Garden Bed Covers To Protect Plants from Frost

5. The most fun part! Plan your spring garden, gather some catalogs, and order some seeds!

Some of our favorites:

• Johnny’s Seed – flowers, vegetables, herbs, cover crops, and excellent information.
• Sow True Seed – based in Asheville, NC. Specializing in heirloom and open-pollinated varieties.
• Burpee Seed – one of the oldest seed companies in the U.S., offers many varieties of flowers and vegetables.
• Park Seed – located in Greenville, SC, offers a full range of vegetable and flower seed.
• Seed Savers Exchange – dedicated to preserving heirloom varieties.
• Seeds of Change – specializing in organically-produced seed.
• Pinetree Garden Seed – offers small, inexpensive seed packets of many flower and vegetable varieties.

Happy Planting!