Winter Garden Tasks

There is almost as much work to do in the garden in the winter as during the growing season. The big difference is that there is no emergency. Just do it when you like. Once everything but the winter crops has played out or frozen, the whole garden can be tilled and mulched. The mulch over the tilled ground keeps it soft and makes the earthworms really happy. The mulch cover can be tilled in just before spring planting or pulled aside. The tilling may not even be necessary.

Planning is a lot of fun on nasty days. The unplanted garden like the imaginary lover is always perfect. If salad greens and sallet greens are planted, they need to be picked regularly to keep them growing. After a frost, they get really tender and tasty. Salad greens are eaten raw, sallet greens are eaten cooked. Greenhouse work is fun too. Winter is a good time for changes to the landscape.

This year raised beds are being installed in as much of the garden as is not planted with something. There is an easier method than double digging. The soil is tilled as deep as the tiller will go. The box is built on top of the ground. It is filled to within about 3” of the top with compost and topped up with the loose dirt from the pathways. The fallow beds are mulched.


David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/