Winter Gardening

Arborvitae Tree Winter Protection Gardening

Gardening All Year Round

So it’s mid-winter where you are. The snow is piling up outside, and you’ve got a bad case of “Cabin Fever”. It’s too early to start any indoor transplants for the spring. You have poured through over a dozen or so seed catalogs that arrived in your mailbox and can recite their content by heart. You’ve got this terrible urge to do some gardening….any gardening activity will do. SO, let’s explore the sinter gardening projects you can do today, regardless of the weather outside.

Here are some ideas that will help you with your “Gardening Withdrawal”

Indoor Houseplant, Winter Gardening

Indoor Gardening

We assume you have pampered your Houseplants until you have run out of things to do with them. If not, get on over to those plants and give them the attention that “you” deserve. Surf on over to our Houseplants channel.

Plan Your Spring Garden

Now is a great time to plan this year’s garden. If you are starting new, you will need to layout the size of the garden, how you will improve the soil, and what types of plants you will use. If you are a vegetable gardener, you must practice crop rotation for bigger and healthier crops. More on Crop rotation.

To best plan your new garden, get a piece of graph paper and fit it to scale. A little planning goes a long way to that perfect garden. And it can consume a lot of winter hours.

Perform Seed Germination Tests

Did you save seeds from last year? Whether you had leftover store-bought seeds, or harvested seeds from your garden plants, it is wise to perform a seed germination test. This ensures that the seeds you plant this spring will indeed sprout with an acceptable germination rate.

This is a great winter gardening task. As you perform these tests, you dream of the great flower and vegetable gardens you will grow in a few months. gardens 

How to perform a seed germination test.

Gardening in Winter - Get Outdoors

The best medicine for gardening withdrawal is to get outside and putter. That’s right, go on outside. Bring your pruning shears with you. Walk around to all of your bushes, shrubs, and trees and give them a good inspection. Now is a perfect time to prune them into shape.

Caution: There are some bushes that you should not trim or prune right now. The most notable of those are Lilac bushes. Pruning Lilacs

Look for damaged branches, and remove them. This will promote the growth of healthy branches as soon as the sap begins to flow in the spring.

If there is heavy snow in your area, gently shake the snow off your evergreens. Be careful not to break branches that are especially fragile in the winter. Do not attempt to remove ice. It is too easy to damage your bushes and trees while removing ice.

Forcing Blooms Indoors

There is a lot of talk and information about Forcing Bulbs. But, have you ever tried to force branches of your favorite bush, shrub, or even tree to bloom in a vase indoors? It is so easy, you will be simply amazed. What is even more amazing is how many people do not know you can do this while the snow drifts up outside of your window.

For compete for details on how to do this, see Forcing Blooms.

Clean and Service Garden Tools and Equpment

Winter is a good time to clean and service all of your gardening tools and equipment. IN addition to helping to make winter go by a little quicker, you will be ready to start the gardening season as soon as spring arrives. So, head out to the shed and get your tools and equipment out.

Here are some things you can do now:

  • First, Clean all of your tools and equipment. Remove the dirt and grime. Use soap and water as needed.
  • Next sharpen them. A metal file should do the trick. Shovels, hoes, saws, pruners, and lawnmower blades all work more efficiently when they are sharp.
  • Change the oil in your lawnmower, rototiller, and any other power equipment.
  • Finally, determine if anything needs to be replaced. If so, shop for them now. 

Mend Fences

Walk around the perimeter of your garden to inspect the fence. Check for holes in it. Are there openings at the bottom where pests can get in?  Does it need repair? If so, make the required repairs now. And, if it has reached the point where a replacement is needed, why wait until spring?

Related Articles

People who like this article will also like:

Winter Gardening – There are gardening tasks you can perform in the winter.

Improving Garden Soil – Fall is a great time to improve your soil. Find out how.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

    Please support our site. Shop for:

    Scroll to top