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How to care for your garden in winter
In autumn, leaves fall onto our allotments and gardens and the smell of rot is all-pervasive. This is a good thing and is part of nature’s cycle.There is not a lot that can be done about this and it can be liberating to leave it to its own devices, as the goodness is drawn into the ground and plants.
There are a few jobs that need to be tackled, but they are not too time-consuming. As always, keep the weeds at bay, tie in the tomatoes and keep courgettes under control. You might have plenty of beans, but your potatoes have probably given way to lots of leek and broccoli. Cold nights may mean you have lost a few of your crops.
Take out the last of the tomatoes and although it is good to let leaves lie and rot on the borders, keep the vegetable patch clear if possible, to prevent any disease. Pull down the bamboo tomato supports and pull out the vines. Stick the vines on your compost heap.
If you have heavy clay soil, use peat to break down the clay, turn over the ground, but if it is not heavy, just sprinkle some compost on top to keep it in good condition. The worms will aerate the soil over winter and in spring, all you will have to do is lightly fork the soil over.
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It is a good idea to sweep your lawn of leaves so that the grass can breathe and then put all the leaves in a big pile and they will then form leaf mould, which can be used on flowers, like lilies and other woodlanders.
Remember, you still have time to plant your bulbs. This can be done all around the garden, in beds, baskets and tubs. Tete a tete is an ideal bulb for baskets, tubs and the front of beds, as it is a dwarf variety. Last year I planted allium bulbs in-between my low growing shrubs, to create a different look to the beds.
Fruit is abundant at this time of year and apples and other harvests can be frozen. There are nuts and raspberries, autumn raspberries are easier to manage than their summer equivalent. Cut their canes to the base in winter and mulch for productivity, and there you are.
Just because it is winter, it does not mean the garden cannot flourish with plenty of vibrant colours. Pansies, primulas, heathers, silver leaf and cyclamen will give plenty of colour throughout the winter. |
