Aviance

You need to keep many things in mind before the prepare your garden for the off-season. For the vegetable garden, take out all the old vines and vegetable plants and inspect for insects that feed on these plants during the summer season as they lay their eggs more often on the older plants. The vines should not be left on the soil; otherwise, these insects will survive all through the winter and will hatch their eggs during the spring season. In that case, the old plants can be worked back into the garden soil and will provide as valuable organic matter as well as kill the harmful insects and heir eggs.

During the fall season, apart from the garden debris some other organic matter should be added to increase the soil’s fertility. Well-rotted manure, peat, leaves and compost can be used in that case. Before the winter season comes, these materials should be composted, with the help of soil microorganisms and beneficial soil insects, which helps in incorporating these materials into the soil. Leave the part of your garden where you have planted root crops that can be mulched rather then digging them up. In order to extend the digging season, you can keep a layer of straw mulch over root crops like carrots, parsnips or beets artichokes. It will act as a good storage method until you are using the ground for the next season.

In case of flowers, you can take out the vines and foliage of the annual flowers, dump them into the garden, and prepare compost out of them. Pull out all the weeds from your garden, as this is just the perfect time to take them out. The trees and the shrubs should be watered on a continued basis, as this will provide them with ample amount of moisture. It is important to keep them hydrated as dry soil tends to kill the roots of the trees and shrubs and puts a lot of stress on them. Water them during the daytime so that they can absorb the water before darkness, as the soil tends to freeze at night.

The stems of the perennials should be cut to an inch or two as the plants die back when the temperature has fallen. It is important to dispose the stem as it might damage the plant further and sustains the disease if there is any.