There is nothing like a few wintertime garden tasks & projects to help chase the winter blues. And, of course, get you more than ready for your best garden season ever!
Even though the cold, dreary dark days of winter are here, your garden doesn’t have to take a back seat. In fact, it’s actually the perfect time to plan, prepare and even create all kinds of great things for your garden.
3 Great Wintertime Garden Tasks & Projects
#1 Garden Planning – Plan Your Garden Early
Taking time to plan out your garden is one of the most important wintertime garden tasks of all. And the best way to be 100% prepared for planting time!
For starters, it helps you get the most from your available garden space. But early planning also lets you take advantage of two key gardening principals – crop rotation and companion planting.
By rotating and planting crops such as tomatoes, peppers or cucumbers in a new location of the garden each year, you greatly reduce the chance of disease and pest infestation. All while providing them with a fresh source of nutrients.
But early planning also allows the opportunity to place plants near varieties that help them grow better. For instance, basil planted near tomatoes can help keep pests away from your tomato plants. Likewise, beans planted near corn has the same effect.
But companion planting also helps alleviate issues of planting some vegetables too close to one another. For instance, cucumbers and potatoes should never be placed too close. When planted in close proximity, cucumbers actually increase the likelihood of blight. (For more on companion planting, see our article Companion Planting Basics.)
#2 Build Those Garden Projects Now! Wintertime Garden Tasks
Once garden season begins, it’s hard to find time to create the DIY projects you need for your garden. Unfortunately, when gardening season arrives, so do planting, mulching, watering and weeding chores.
And that is exactly why winter is the perfect time to get building what you need. Whether it’s in a garage, barn or the basement, now is the time to build that much needed compost bin or raised bed box.
Sure it may be a little cold, but it gets you up off the couch for a little winter activity. It really is the perfect time to build that garden bench or make those garden signs you have been dreaming of!
As spring arrives, you will be ready concentrate full time on planting, and enjoy the garden more than ever. Looking for a little garden DIY Inspiration? Check out all of our home DIY Garden Project Plans on the blog. From compost bins to raised bed boxes, 5 gallon bucket planters and more, you will be ready to grow big come spring!
#3 Order Seeds & Supplies Early – Wintertime Garden Tasks
One of the biggest keys to gardening success is to have what you need well before you need it. So once that garden plan is in order, it’s time to order the supplies and seeds you need now!
If last year taught us anything at all, it’s that products and supplies can disappear in an instant. And with gardening more popular than ever, this certainly isn’t the year to wait until the last minute to order the supplies you will need.
If you will be starting seeds indoors, order now to have them in plenty of time. And remember everything else you will need too – such as seed starting soil, lights, trays and flats, worm castings and compost. Having it all on hand early really is the key to success!
Start Saving Your Egg Shells & Coffee Grounds
And most importantly, start saving valuable kitchen scraps like coffee grounds and egg shells. We place a few 5 gallon buckets with lids outside of our kitchen door, and save up mounds of coffee grounds and egg shells for spring planting.
Both are incredibly helpful in adding key nutrients to the soil. In addition, they can help to keep serious issues like tomato blight in check. See : Why Coffee Grounds And Egg Shells Are A Gardener’s Best Friend.
Whether you are planning to grow your first veggies ever, or are a seasoned veteran of the backyard garden now is the time to make sure you have everything ready you’ll need next spring to hit the ground running – or should I say hit the garden planting!
Here is to getting ready for your next garden with few wintertime garden tasks and projects! Happy Gardening – Jim and Mary
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.
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