In Southern Ontario, our gardening season has a very distinct end in October for heat-loving plants, such as tomatoes and peppers. This is a great time to work on putting the garden to bed for the winter so that it’s prepped and ready next spring.
To-Do List
- Clean out the dead plant material
- I practice a no-till so I leave the roots from plants such as tomatoes or peppers in the ground. I trim everything down to the ground, to decompose over the winter. If there is still large debris left in the spring I will remove it then.
- Weeding
- Remove any weeds so they are not leaving any seeds to germinate in spring.
- Compost
- If you have the time and compost available, it can be beneficial to add compost to your garden beds now. Otherwise, this can be added in the spring as well.
- Shredded leaves are another option to be added to your garden at this time of year considering that they are usually readily available.
- Plant Garlic
- Garlic needs to be planted in the fall, check out this post for more details.
- General Clean-up
- Ensure that your garden space is cleaned and that things such as tools are put away correctly. Also, any hoses or pumps should be drained so that nothing will crack with the freezing temperatures.
- Improvements
- Take note of any improvements that need to be planned for next year. This could include repairs or updates for irrigation, covers, and trellises. I’m planning on upgrading a couple of my raised beds in the spring, so I’ve made sure to collect any measurements or other details needed before everything is covered in snow.
There is not a lot that must be done to a garden before winter, but these few things will help to get you started on the right foot next spring. Check out this post which covers what is on my spring prep list every year. I hope you found this list of items for putting your garden to bed for the season helpful.
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