This winter—if it’s anything like the last—much of the Midwest will witness an average of 50 consecutive days of below-freezing temperatures. If not prepared, weather patterns like this will make your soil suffer and turn your crops to casualties.
What tips can Midwesterners use to guard their gardens during the snowy season and ensure a successful sprout by spring? Gardening gurus will guide you through the 5 easy steps, working from the underground up.
• Start With Soil
A flourishing garden depends heavily on healthy soil. Most soil conditioning should be done during the fall and winter to better promote growth in the following spring. You need to “amend the soil,” says Jack Louden, owner of Jack’s Water Service and leisure gardener of Petersburg, Ky. Soil in the Midwest tends to harden rather quickly and requires frequent maintenance. Louden suggests working in products like bagged compost, manure and organic fertilizer to break down compacted soil; either by roto-tilling or spading. If you’re unsure of which products to use, most county Horticulture departments offer soil testing. These tests will provide a guideline for balancing the nutrients in the soil by analyzing its chemical
make-up.
“Clearing and plowing are very important in the beginning of fall,” says Louden. Nature experts such as Mike Klahr, County Agent of Horticulture for the University of Kentucky extension center, suggest cutting back all the plants that were killed from frost and clear out plant debris at the end of winter. “Early March is a good time to start preparing your spring garden,” says Klahr. “If you have plants that were damaged by pests that winter, pull them out and destroy them.”
• Drench The Dirt
When growing crops in the fall or simply sustaining a nutrient-rich soil, it’s important to constantly water your garden. Sandy Wright, owner of Rightway Nursery in northern and southwestern Ky. for over 30 years, believes it’s the key to a successful garden. “If there’s not enough moisture in the ground, you’re going to have no insulation,” says Wright. “When frost comes, you need to protect your roots.” Even short dry spells can prohibit the progress of fall crops and significantly harden soil. Whether you install a timed sprinkler system in your garden or just use a watering can, the ground must remain moist to combat frost.
• Manipulate Your Mulch
Not only is mulch aesthetically pleasing, it provides protection to the soil when spread properly. Mulch helps the soil retain water and “allows water absorption by the roots, requiring less-frequent watering,” says Wright. It also prevents over-drying from frost because it imparts insulation that keeps soil warm during the winter months.
Wright suggests using a soil conditioner in the fall along with the mulch to give acidity and help break up clay in the process. Applying mulch 3 to 4 inches deep will reduce weed growth, fight off soil-borne diseases caused by mud and prevent snow/ice damage. Using an old blanket to cover flowerbeds and garden patches at night will also help protect them from frost.
• Clockwork Your Crops
Many past-time planters believe gardening stops when summer stops—but Klahr says otherwise. “It’s all about timing. The conditions for planting certain seeds can change as quickly as one week.” There are quite a few crops that can be cultivated successfully in the Midwest this time of year. Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, carrots and turnips are among the many items fall gardens can feature.
Simply count back approximately 12 weeks from the average first frost date in your area (around Oct. 17 in the Midwest) to start planting seeds. Planting them indoors is ideal for the first three weeks—after that, they can be transferred outdoors.
As long as the plants are up in time to catch the last weeks of summer sun they will grow strong enough to survive through lower temperatures. If you get a late start to planting, Klahr recommends building a “hot bed,” a structure that surrounds a garden in which “heating cables run through to keep the soil warm through winter.”
• Control Cold-Weather Critters
Although insect pests are more common in the warmer months, there are still a number of critters in pursuit of plants to eat during fall and winter. “Once you get past the first frost, you won’t have as many,” says Klahr. “But insects are good at going down into the soil and hiding.” Common cold-weather pests in the Midwest include: grub worms, beetles, army worms, rabbits and deer. Protecting your garden from these hungry herbivores is important because not only are crops no longer safe to eat, they stop growing once they’re damaged and the infestation can spread.
For your garden to reach its full potential—in any season—pest precautions must be taken. Regularly cleaning plant debris and removing the dead leaves, mulch and grass clippings will help keep most animals from snacking. “Mothballs also work,” says Wright. “Put them around the plants they seem to like; they probably won’t be back.” Sprinkling coffee grounds over your garden has also been proven to deter some of nature’s nuisances due to the odor.
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