Winter in the Southern Hemisphere has arrived, but that’s no reason to abandon your gardens. There’s still plenty to do, and here are some of the things you can get done as the cold settles in.
● Soil Prep - Make sure your soil is ready for the cooler, wetter, weather. Clear out the excess debris such as autumn leaves, which you can make the most of via composting.
Loosen up the soil to prep for the rains.This also keeps the soil from going stagnant, so to speak, by refreshing the ecosystem within it.
● Pruning - The changing weather finally opens up a lot of time for you to tackle all the pruning needed in the garden.
The lack of leaves also helps in planning out the profiles you’d like for your shrubs and trees.
● Weed out the Weeds - The weather not only halts most of the plant life, it also makes typical new growth very difficult.
Use this to your advantage by taking this time to kill off all those weeds that have been spreading everywhere. The weather will be on your side and you’ll only have a bare minimum give you trouble.
● Over-winter Crops - If you’re a vegetable gardener, consider what crops you’ll want to grow next season. Certain crops require a head start by planting in the colder seasons, and having them over-winter.
This means they go dormant for the Winter months, and will be ready to grow when the weather warms up. Some examples include garlic and potatoes.
● Plan Ahead - Most importantly, Winter signifies the end of things. And it’s at this point where we’re allowed to contemplate the start of things to come.
Ask yourself what you like or don’t like about your garden. What do you want to stop? Which things do you want to change? Are you going to try anything new for next year?
Or simply plan out what do you want to happen in your garden from the first day of Spring.
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