Prepare your garden for Winter

Winter is nearly upon us, the weather is getting cooler and the days are getting shorter. While it might be tempting to stay tucked up inside with a warm cup of tea, there's actually still plenty that can be done in the garden. Now is the time for tidying up, protecting plants and planning ahead.

Tidy

• Clear Borders: Start by tidying up your garden borders, removing any dead or decaying plants. You can leave those with seed heads or hollow stems, as they can provide essential food and shelter for birds and insects.
• Vegetable Plots: Remove old plants from your vegetable plots and add them to the compost. However, if any are diseased, dispose of them separately to prevent the spread of disease to future crops.
• Leaf Cleanup: Rake leaves from paths and well-trodden areas. Some leaves should be left in parts of the garden as they create valuable wildlife habitats. The leaves you collect can be turned into leaf mould.
• Clear Debris: Eliminate any plastic debris in your garden, such as plant pots, netting, or strimmer cord. Not only will this enhance your garden's appearance, but it will also prevent these items from becoming litter elsewhere.
• Moss Removal: To avoid dangerous slippy pathways, you can clear moss off with Omniclear Allround Weed/Moss/Algae Remover. It consists entirely of natural ingredients, it is 100% environmentally friendly and not harmful to pets or damaging to watercourses.
• Note: When tidying it's important to remember to leave space for wildlife. Clearing too much away may destroy sheltering sites for all sorts of invertebrates and small mammals. For example: seed pods of many cottage garden plants and wildflowers will house ladybirds and other small beetles. And hollow stalks can be a home for hibernating invertebrates - think solitary bees and wasps, lace wings, ladybirds etc.

Repair

• Maintenance: Repair any damage to raised beds, fences, and sheds. Preserve wood by applying an eco friendly wood stain like Donnos natural wood stain.
• Tool Care: Winter is a good time to oil the wooden handles of tools you won't be using until the following season. This not only extends their lifespan but also keeps them looking great. We stock Livos Tool Handle oil. It contains linseed and orange oil and will create a water repellent and UV resistant surface.
• Tool Repairs: If any of your gardening tools have been damaged during the growing season, consider repairing or replacing handles and blades as needed. We stock replacement handles for the majority of our tools and spare blades for the oscillating hoes and Felco pruners.
• Polytunnel Repairs: Check your polytunnel for any rips or holes and repair them with polytunnel repair tape.

Protect

• Potted Plants: Move potted plants or containers indoors or to a sheltered area. Container plants are more susceptible to frost damage due to their lack of insulation from the soil. Ensure containers have proper drainage, and consider wrapping them with fleece to shield them from temperature drops.
• Mulch and Ground Cover: Cover empty or finished garden beds with mulch or ground cover to prevent soil erosion and weed growth. Strulch is an excellent option for protecting the soil from sudden temperature changes.
• Crop Covers: Always keep some crop cover handy to cover plants when a frost is threatened. 
• Irrigation Timers: Don't forget to take in irrigation timers if you have them in your garden. Freezing temperatures can damage these devices, so it's essential to store them indoors during the winter months to ensure they function properly when needed. Proper winter storage will extend their lifespan and save you from replacing them prematurely.

Pruning & Dead Hedging

Winter is an ideal time to prune, as the lack of leaves on deciduous trees and shrubs enables you to see what you’re doing.  As the trees are dormant, cuts are less likely to bleed and will quickly callous over before growth begins again in Spring.

If you are pruning, or making any major garden alterations, it is always best to do this in stages to allow nature to re-home itself. You can prune deciduous trees between November and March.  Use clean and sharp saws and secateurs to reduce any chance of infection or damage to your trees. Pruning back weak branches or those overhanging in undesirable/unsafe areas will minimise the risk when strong winds hit.

Dead hedging is a great way to use small branches and will provide an excellent windbreak. More importantly it offers so much shelter for all manner of insects and birds.

• To make a dead hedge knock two lines of stout poles into the ground, about half a metre apart each way.
• Fill up the gap with any manner of small branches or cuttings. The upright poles will stop the whole thing falling apart and provide some structure.
• If you are really creative you could weave ivy, honeysuckle or clematis stems through to add more support. A dead hedge is a good way of disposing of awkward material such as holly or blackthorn which you might not want to compost because of the thorns. It is also a good use for material which you might have otherwise shredded.
• This hedge will soon become a very living structure. Especially for birds that will eat the insects and take what they fancy for nesting material. As the material gradually rots down over the years, it provides a habitat for beetles and creatures that need soft, rotting wood for a home.

Plant

• Sow Green Manure: At this time of year Rye is really the only green manure that can still be sown. This is because it can germinate at temperatures as low as 4˚C. Rye is excellent at picking up nitrogen and is also deep rooting so will break up and improve soil structure.
• Plant some bulbs:. There's still time to plant flower bulbs. We have some beautiful Organic Flower Bulbs available.
• Plant Garlic & Onions: Now is the time to plant overwintering Garlic and onions, we have a selection available.
• Broad Beans: Sow broad bean 'Aquadulce' into the ground or pots for transplanting, as these overwintering plants will yield an early harvest in the coming spring.