Why We Winterize the Garden
Winterizing your garden ensures healthy soil and plants next spring. Kansas City’s Zone 6 climate means freezing winters, so taking steps now will protect your garden from harsh conditions. Follow these beginner-friendly tips to get your garden ready for winter.
1. Clear Out Old Plants and Debris
Remove all summer crops, weeds, and plant debris from your garden beds. This prevents pests and diseases from overwintering. Chop healthy plants into small pieces and add them to your compost pile. Discard diseased plants and weeds to keep your compost clean.
2. Prepare the Soil
Optional Soil Test: Test your soil before winter to identify nutrient deficiencies. Kits are available online or through local agricultural extensions.
Till the Soil: Use a spade or tiller to mix the soil, creating better airflow and drainage while disrupting overwintering pests.
Add Compost: Mix organic compost into the soil to replenish nutrients your garden used this season.
3. Mulch Your Garden
Protect your soil with organic mulch like leaf mulch, natural mulch, or oak bark mulch. Mulch prevents erosion, retains moisture, and regulates soil temperature. Avoid Black Walnut leaves, as they are toxic to most plants.
4. Plant a Cover Crop
Sow fast-growing cover crops like winter rye or Austrian winter peas. These protect the soil, prevent weeds, and add nutrients when tilled in the spring.
5. Care for Perennials and Herbs
Perennials: Water them well in fall and mulch around their bases to insulate roots. Some plants, like coneflowers, can stay intact for birds to enjoy. Others, like hostas, should be cut back to prevent diseases.
Herbs: Hardy herbs like thyme need little protection, while tender ones like rosemary should be moved indoors. Add straw mulch around less-hardy varieties like oregano.
6. Handle Hardy Vegetables
Harvest tender crops like tomatoes and zucchini before the first frost.
Leave hardy crops like kale, Brussels sprouts, and carrots in the ground. They can often survive frosts and taste sweeter after exposure to cold.
7. Prepare Berry Patches and Roses
Berries: Prune raspberry and blackberry canes. Cover strawberry beds with straw mulch.
Roses: After the first frost, mulch roses heavily around their base to insulate the roots.
Why Winterize?
Winterizing protects your garden’s soil, improves fertility, and reduces spring work. In Kansas City, these steps prepare your garden to thrive through our Zone 6 winters, giving you a head start on a bountiful spring.
Need Mulch or Compost? We’ve Got You Covered!
If you need mulch or compost to protect your garden beds this winter, Kansas City Composting delivers! Place an online order to enjoy the convenience of high-quality materials delivered straight to your door. Let us help your garden thrive all year round!
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