Prep Your Veggie Garden For Winter: Enjoy benefits next summer.


Baltimore, MD: As we approach winter and I picked my final veggies from the summer stock, it is a good time to develop the game plan for winter. Know when to clear out your garden and do "prep" work prior to the next growing season.

Here are a few easy steps to put your summer vegetable garden to bed for the winter season:

1. Remove all annual plants after they have completed harvest: Pull them up by the roots - do not just "cut". Surprisingly, dying vegetation can host bacteria and disease that can stunt next year's growth. Leaving your plants in place do not act as compost instead, you risk them rotting and stunting next year's harvest.

2. Wait until the first good frost, then cut or prune perennials back.

3. Lightly till the ground. This exposes some of the fungus/ bacteria and will ultimately kill it.

4. Consider adding a finished compost to the dirt prior to tilling.

4. Keep fall foliage clear from the area and make sure to not let leaves gather/ rot here.  You can save these for compost but, not in your garden.

5.  If you choose to use a winter ground cover such as pine branches to protect bulbs, wait until after a good freeze. By then rodents have already found their "winter hideout". Using a cover too early will invite them to your garden, your bulbs will become a nice snack mid-winter!

Thinking today will help you develop a plan over the next few weeks. This plan will make for a great summer crop and you will appreciate the little bit of effort in the spring when your garden is producing earlier and more than ever before!

Plus--- who doesn't like an excuse to do yard work on a crisp fall day:)



The information above is for conversation purposes only. Brought to you by EFynch.com- Maryland and Washington D.C.'s newest homeowner and handyman resource to get work done.

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