Knock out these winter gardening tasks so you’ll be ready to rock the next growing season.
Winter gardening is an opportunity to keep your yard in order through the coldest months.
Giving your trees andperennial beds a little attention in winterwill help them be at their best when spring returns.
Credit:David Speer
The cold season is also a good time to do some maintenance on your garden tools.
David Speer
Early Winter Checklist
1.
Clean bird feeders and keep them full of high-fat food.
Credit:Natalia Lebedinskaia / Getty Images
Every two weeks,clean the feederswith a solution thats 9 parts water and 1 part bleach.
Scrub away any debris, rinse and dry the feeder, and refill it.
Use a sturdybirdbath that can withstand a freezewithout cracking.
Credit: Kritsada Panichgul
Watch out for weeds.
Inspect your lawn, garden, and planting beds for weeds that pop up over the winter.
Yes, some weeds keep growing despite the cold.
Cover outdoor faucets with an insulated cover to prevent burst pipes.
Clean out all trash, leaves, and debris, and patch any holes in the greenhouse frame.
Natalia Lebedinskaia / Getty Images
Midwinter Checklist
1.
Make a garden plan and order seeds.Curl up by the fire with a seed catalog or two.
Decide what youre going to plant and where youre going to plant it.
Calculate how many seeds youll need and order them, especially those you plan to start indoors.
you could do the same with wreaths and swags.
Common trees to prune in the winter are fruit trees, deciduous trees, and evergreens.
Dont prunespring-blooming treessuch as dogwood, magnolia, or redbud in the winter, or youll get no flowers.
Prune them after they bloom.
Late Winter Checklist
1.
Start seeds so you have transplants ready to put in the ground after the weather warms.
Prune roses.Roses should be prunedby late winter to early spring, right around the last frost date.
You want to encourage the rose to grow strong roots instead of spending energy on extra stems and leaves.
Prune according to the plants needs.
Get your tools and equipment ready for spring.Sharpen lawn mower bladesandpruning shears.
Tune up chainsaws, blowers, lawn mowers, tillers, and other power equipment.
