When the cold wind starts blowing and the Santas are ho-ho-hoing, even the most die-hard Victory Gardener may be thinking of other things.
I talked with my favorite master gardener, Hillary, and got the run down on what she thinks are important in winter for a fabulous garden in spring.
Cold weather growing
Maybe you do want fresh vegetables all year round!
Cold frames are a popular method of extending your growing season. Although, in Copperas Cove/Killeen they might be overkill since the hardiness zone is 8a. But in case you move to a colder area, it’s something to consider. A cold frame is a box made out of any number of materials- usually brick, wood, fiberglass, or straw bales- with a glass or plexiglass roof to let in sunlight. If you want to further protect your plants, you could grow in a greenhouse with cold frames inside! Each additional layer of protection effectively moves your garden 1.5 zones to the south. For example, you live in Portland, Maine (zone 5b). Even a single cold frame would mean you’re “growing” in zone 7a- Richmond, Virginia! Add a greenhouse, and now you’re “gardening” in Central Texas 8a! (I really miss how easy it is to grow in the winter in Central Texas)
Plants like kale, spinach, lettuce, radishes, broccoli, and cabbage can all withstand life outside during wintertime. They won’t grow very much or fast, however, so don’t expect the bumper crops you’ll get in August. But if you plant enough and keep them protected, you should have fresh greens to add to your salads even in February and March!
Keep composting
The constant freeze-thaw cycles common to wintertime actually help break down materials, so composting is winter is great. I also don’t worry as much about balancing my “greens and browns” in the winter. I keep adding kitchen scraps, healthy pruned branches, or any other organic matter to my pile all winter long. Then, just like magic, in spring you’ll have finished or nearly-finished compost to add to your garden beds! If you haven’t started your compost, here’s an easy way to get started. Click Here.
Prune
If you have any kind of fruit tree or bush in your victory garden, winter is the time to show them a little TLC. Apple, peach, pear, cherry, apricot, and citrus trees all benefit from pruning, as do blueberries, roses and grape vines.
Pruning is your way of mimicking nature’s cycle of succession. When you cut away certain branches or sections of your trees and bushes, you make room for increased air circulation, sunlight, and fruit set. Pruned trees also can focus on sending nutrients only to the necessary (fruit bearing) branches and stalks. You need to make sure you don’t over- or under prune, of course, as that could damage your plant’s health.
It’s best to save pruning for wintertime because winter can already be damaging to your trees and bushes. It’s common for a snow or ice storm to knock down a branch or two. You don’t want to prune in the fall, then lose even more branches to a big storm, jeopardizing the tree’s health. Pruning at the tail end of winter also gives you a chance to inspect your plants, and choose damaged shoots as prime targets for cutting.
Paperwork
Winter is commonly known as a time to curl up by the fire with a good book, and it’s no different for Victory Gardeners! Winter is the perfect time to read some inspiring garden literature (The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia & All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew are 2 of my favorites), learn new skills (pruning, composting or cold frames perhaps?) and reflect on the past year -or just be thankful surviving 2020!
Finally, it’s especially important to set aside some time to assess this past season’s garden and ask yourself the following questions:
- What grew best? Any idea why? How can you replicate this success?
- What grew worst? Any idea why? How can you learn from and avoid this problem?
- What do you want more of next year?
- What do you want less of next year?
- What do you need to relocate?
- Do you need any new beds?
Using the information you learn from your answers, plan out all of next season. Grab some sheets of paper and draw (artistic skills not necessary!) your rows, beds, and sections. Mark what needs to go where, how many of each you’ll attempt to plant, and whether you’ll need to remove what’s growing there now first.
Next, spend some time taking stock of your current seed stores, and compare what you have to what you need. If you’re unsure whether a certain batch of seeds are still good, you can do a germination test. Simply take four or five seeds, place them between two damp paper towels, and put it all in a plastic zipping baggie. If in a few days or weeks (depending on the info on your seed packet) you don’t see any slender shoots forming from the seeds, consider the whole batch gone and mark them down to reorder. Which brings me to one of my guilty pleasures…
Order seeds
Notice how I put ordering seeds AFTER planning your garden and taking stock of what you have? You can do it in any order you please, but I will buy WAY more seeds than I need if I get swept away with brightly colored catalogues, well-designed websites, and promises of “high yield, drought resistance, and disease immunity.”
Oh seed companies – the bounty my dreams are made of!
In all seriousness though, do look for seeds with those fancy extras. If you live in an arid place, you absolutely should be looking for plants and varieties with drought resistance. If your tomato plants are constantly decimated by blight, look for those that have some level of immunity. And for the love of all turnips, please add a few heirloom varieties! Someday, my grandchildren and their grandchildren will be glad that someone was helping to preserve them.
Simple winter gardening chores for the Victory Gardener no matter how big or small you plan for your Victory Garden to be.
Happy planting!
DeeAnn
The Victory Garden Gal