Every gardening enthusiast worries about extreme weather, such as heavy rain, strong winds, hard freezes and thick snowfall. All of the hard work and dedication you put into your garden could be ruined in just a few short minutes, so what can you do to make sure you are prepared for taking care of your garden in the snow?
When it comes to winter gardening, it’s important to become well-informed on caring for your garden before, during and after snowfall. Whether you’re living in a colder climate that is prone to regular snow or not, now is the time to learn more about taking care of your plants, lawn and other important garden elements when extreme weather strikes. Hopefully, these ideas will help you to feel as prepared as possible this winter, just in case heavy snow falls in your area.
Clear Away Snow Quickly and Efficiently
If you want to keep your garden clean and clear during the snowy days, you need to find an effective method to move it out the way without damaging your lawn and plants. This is where an electric snow blower will come in extremely useful, as it will help to get rid of unwanted snow from surfaces. If you have a particularly large driveway, or backyard, this is the ideal solution because it moves the snow out the way in an eco-friendly way that creates zero emissions. If you are able to clear the snow quickly and efficiently this will benefit your backyard, and give it the much needed protection it deserves to keep thriving during the harsher climates.
Cover Up Your Garden Furniture
Your garden furniture needs just as much protection as the rest of your garden during snowfall. If possible, try to move your garden furniture into a covered area of your backyard so that it’s not exposed to the harsh elements. On the other hand, you may also want to cover up your garden furniture with a specialist cover or tarp. There are plenty of weather resistant options available online that will prevent moisture from attacking the material of your garden furniture so that it remains in good condition.
Continue to Water As Usual
Even when snowfall happens during the winter, it’s important to continue to care for your plants as usual. If the soil becomes frozen or blanketed in a layer of snow, it then becomes difficult for the roots of the plants to obtain the moisture they need to keep growing. Watering your plants regularly will help to keep them alive, rather than allowing them to wither away in the freezing cold temperatures.
Why Not Plant New Vegetables?
It’s not completely unheard of to continue your usual gardening routine during snowy weather, especially if you were due to plant some new vegetables ready for the spring and summer. This might be the ideal time to get your fast-growing vegetables in place such as spinach, lettuce, kale, turnips and dill. Similarly, you could also consider hardier vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, parsley, cabbage, and potatoes. Depending on the conditions, you may find that this type of schedule actually works very well for your new vegetables.
Protect Your Plants
There are certain plants in your garden that will need some additional care during heavy snow. Covering up your tender plants or perennials will help to provide them with insulation and protection so that they don’t die from the extreme weather. You can cover them up with an upside down flower pot, or specialist garden fleece which is designed to protect plants from these types of weather conditions.
If you have bigger trees and shrubs that you’re worried about, you can wrap them up with tree wrap to prevent snow and ice from getting to them. If possible, try to shake off any excess snow or ice from the branches so that they don’t become too brittle under the conditions. Potted plants can also be easily protected from the snow by moving them to sheltered places, or using bubble wrap to cover them over. Try to avoid bringing potted plants indoors because the change in temperature could cause them to quickly deteriorate.
Stay off the Lawn if Possible
Although it might be very tempting to head straight outside and start playing in the snow as soon as the white stuff hits the ground, try to avoid walking or running on it if possible. When your lawn is covered in snow it can easily become damaged, especially the turf underneath it. Snow prevents the grass and turf from breathing underneath, and it makes it very difficult for them to receive their essential nutrients if the snow becomes even more compacted into the ground. Keeping a level of breathability when it’s snowed will help your lawn to recover more quickly and reduce long-term damage.
Preventative Measures to Take in The Winter
Before the snow falls, it’s always a good idea to take preventative measures in order to keep your plants and garden as safe as possible. Here are just a handful of tips that may help you to avoid garden disasters if the temperatures plummet unexpectedly:
-Feed your plants well but avoid fertilizers which contain nitrogen as this can cause damage in the colder months.
-Cover up your soil so that nutrients are maintained during the snow. You may find that green manure also helps to reduce leaching of nutrients, particularly where you’re growing vegetables.
-Wrap plants using special materials to prevent frost and snow from damaging petals, branches and leaves.
-Mulching can help to reduce soil erosion that often follows heavy rain. You can even mulch with leaf litter!
Now You’re Prepared for the Snow!
There are plenty of straightforward and practical methods that can help to keep your garden safe and sound during the winter. When snow is expected, you can put preventative measures in place, and continue maintaining your garden in the most effective way possible.
Keeping on top of your garden during these cold snaps will not only help your plants, vegetables and flowers to thrive, but it will also give you more experience when dealing with a snow-filled garden in the winter. You never know, you might enjoy the process of winter gardening!