Winterizing your garden: checklist & tips

When the trees are slowly becoming bare and there are only kale and Co. in the vegetable patches, it is high time to winterize the garden. Not only plants need frost protection, garden accessories also survive the cold season even better with a few simple steps.

Vegetable gardens, grasses and raised beds, but also garden pumps - when the season is drawing to a close, the garden should be winterized. But what measures are necessary? And when? In this article, we give you all the tips you need to know about preparing your garden for winter, and we have also put together a checklist for the most important tasks.

When should the garden be winterized?

Before the first frost it makes sense to winterize the garden. The time can vary greatly depending on the region. So keep an eye on the weather report and rely on your experience. The first frosts usually occur in mid-October on clear nights. The growing season is then over in our latitudes and the plants switch their metabolism on the back burner.

Important: Some potted plants do not tolerate temperatures of just over 0 ° C and should be brought to winter quarters earlier. These include, for example, the Chinese hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis), the gentian bush (Lycianthes rantonnetii) and tropical container plants such as banana and bougainvillea species.

Winterizing your garden: checklist

In this checklist you will find an overview of how you can optimally prepare your garden for winter - so that it wakes up in all its glory in spring.

Winterize the vegetable garden

If you make your vegetable garden really winter-proof, you can save yourself a lot of weeding work in spring and at the same time optimally prepare the soil for the next season. If necessary, autumn is also the right time to lime the soil. We recommend doing this as follows:

• Leave winter vegetables and mulch all around.
• Remove diseased plant remains and weeds.
• Cut off the lawn edge.
• Loosen the surface of unplanted beds with a hoe or digging fork. This ensures good ventilation.
• Autumn is the right time for lime fertilization. Because lime is best not applied together with fertilizer in order to avoid phosphate precipitation and nitrogen outgassing. By liming the Soil pH brought back into an area that is optimal for vegetable plants and promoted microbial soil life. In the vegetable garden - depending on the type of soil - a pH value between 5.3 and 7 is best for the plants to absorb nutrients and trace elements. PH tests for garden soil are available in stores, with which you can test whether liming makes sense in your location.
• Cover beds with a thick layer of mulch of leaves or any other chopped organic material that is available. This prevents soil erosion and microorganisms and earthworms have sufficient food and isolation during the cold season. Further information on the Mulching can be found in our special article on the subject.

Tip: The traditional way of digging up beds has fallen into disrepute in recent years because it disrupts soil life and promotes erosion. In the case of soils with a high clay content that tend to compact, it can also be helpful after a few years to dig up the substrate, as such soils benefit from a frost bake. In the process, compacted clods of earth are broken up by the action of frost and the earth becomes finer and more crumbly. The soil life recovers after a short time, provided there is no constant intervention.

Lime painting of fruit trees

The bark of fruit trees is severely stressed by the winter sun in connection with icy temperatures. Stress cracks can occur, especially in younger trees, which make the tree susceptible to infections. Applying lime in autumn significantly reduces the risk of stress cracks, because the white color of the lime reflects the sun's rays and the tree trunk heats up more slowly. How exactly to go about painting and how Lime paint for fruit trees is made in-house, you can read about it in our special article on the subject.

Winterize grasses

Most of the ornamental grasses that are sold in nurseries are hardy with us. Deciduous ornamental grasses such as Chinese reeds (Miscanthus sinensis) or switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) can simply be left standing. The dead leaves protect the vegetation point of the plants in winter. The clumps can also be tied together so that the leaves don't fly around in the garden when it gets stormy. It is not recommended to cut off the withered leaves, as the natural isolation of the plant is then lost. They also offer hibernation opportunities for insects. In the more sensitive species such as pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) and pile tube (Arundo donax), on the other hand, it makes sense to tie the clumps together and then pack them in fleece to protect them from the weather. Most evergreen grasses such as sedges (Carex) or Hainsimsen (Luzula), on the other hand, are shade plants and have another problem in winter - they burn if the sunlight is too strong. Brushwood or leaves protect the plants from this.

Tip: In general, too much moisture is more damaging to most ornamental grasses than frost. Therefore, pay attention to a well-drained subsurface. If a fleece is used as frost protection, it is essential to attach it in such a way that no waterlogging occurs.

Winterize raised beds

We recommend covering a raised bed in winter to prevent valuable nutrients from being washed out. You can winterize a raised bed with the following steps:

• Remove plant residues from the surface and, if they are not sick, lay something down on the ground.
• Cover the soil with a thick layer of leaves or other organic material. The microorganisms break down the mulch material over the winter into valuable humus and nutrient leaching is retained. Carbon-rich material such as leaves or coarsely chopped straw are ideal for this. The last cut of the year can also be used. However, it is better to combine this with coarser material to avoid mold formation.
• If there is no mulch, the bed can alternatively be covered with a waterproof tarpaulin and weighted down with stones at the edge. This method should only be used when the raised bed has been completely cleared.

Winterize irrigation and garden pumps

Any water left in the pipes can freeze in winter. As a result of the expansion, lines can burst and become leaky. In the worst case, moisture penetrates the masonry of the house and causes costly damage. To prevent such unpleasant surprises, it is important to winterize your garden irrigation. Turn off the water pipe to the outside faucet and open the faucet outside the house. Residual water can then drain away and the resulting ice has enough space to expand. If you have installed a frost-proof outside water tap system, you can save yourself this measure.

Accessories such as hoses and hose couplings are best removed and stored in a frost-free place. Since they are usually made of plastic, the temperature fluctuations will otherwise make them brittle and break earlier.

Tip: Watering cans can also burst when there is frost. It is best to empty them and stow them under a roof. If that is not possible, simply attach it upside down so that it does not rain in.

Winterize the pond

If your pond pump has not been declared frost-resistant, it must either be lowered into frost-free, deeper water layers below 80 cm or stored outside the pond. Too much pressure from ice may bend the pump impeller and the device will no longer work properly. When wintering outside the pond, the pump is first switched off and then the inlet and outlet are emptied. The pump can be stored in a frost-proof place over the winter.

If fish live in your garden pond and it is not particularly large, it makes sense to place an ice preventer in the garden pond. With longer periods of permafrost there may otherwise be a lack of oxygen or high concentrations of digester gas in the water and, in the worst case, the frozen pond dwellers die. A commercially available ice preventer made of insulating styrofoam is sufficient to remove a small spot on the Keep the water surface open and allow sufficient gas exchange between water and air guarantee.

Winterize ornamental beds and shrub beds

You can find out how to make frost-sensitive garden plants winter-proof in our special article "Protect plants from frost" read up. We already give a few additional tips here.

Evergreen plants are often exposed to strong sunlight during their resting phase. If the ground is frozen in combination with high light intensity, so-called frost dryness can occur. Then the plant transpires water through its leaves, but cannot absorb moisture due to the frozen soil water. As a result, you can often see rhododendrons and other evergreen trees with rolled, drooping leaves in winter - especially when these plants are in sunny locations. It is therefore best to shade them over the winter months. This also prevents the “burning” of leaves, which occurs due to excessive light intensity and simultaneous coldness and thus inhibited photosynthesis. High-energy light hits the leaf, but cannot be processed and therefore causes oxidative damage. Lots of evergreens Plants color their foliage in autumn therefore red, because the anthocyanins protect against oxidative stress.

Frost-dryness of evergreen plants can be avoided by regular watering and an insulating layer. An at least 8 cm thick layer of mulch made of straw, leaves or brushwood retains moisture in the soil and insulates the rooted upper soil layer against the cold. In the case of sensitive plants such as roses, we recommend piling up the mulch material generously around the plant. Also ours Plantura organic pine bark isolates the soil, reduces evaporation and also naturally suppresses weeds. It is made from 100% sustainably produced softwood bark and is particularly durable compared to other mulch materials. In spring it can simply be left in the bed and is also a real eye-catcher.

Winterize potted plants 

Container plants need special attention in autumn. Since pots, due to their small volume and lack of insulation, freeze completely more easily than soil in the bed, the tubs either have to be additionally insulated or the plants have to be moved to frost-free winter quarters will.

Tropical and Mediterranean plants are sensitive to cold temperatures and cannot overwinter outside. They have to be brought indoors at the latest with the first frosts, or earlier depending on the type of plant. Evergreen potted plants such as star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoidis), Myrtle (Myrtus communis) or citrus fruits (Citrus) overwinter best in light, frost-free, but cool at temperatures below 10 ° C. The following rule of thumb applies: the cooler the place, the darker it can be. Deciduous tub plants of subtropical origin such as angel's trumpet (Brugmansia) or fuchsia (Fuchsia), on the other hand, can overwinter in completely dark rooms at low temperatures. Before wintering, check the plants for pests and remove any diseased or dead branches. If space permits, it is better to wait until February to prune larger branches. Then the plants soon wake up from their hibernation and cut wounds are quickly closed.

Hardy potted plants such as box trees, hydrangeas and roses can be left outside in winter. However, the sensitive root ball must be additionally insulated against sub-zero temperatures. You can use different materials such as bast or coconut mats, but also jute sacks and sticks. In order to prevent "cold feet" and the drainage hole from freezing over, it is also advisable to place an insulating polystyrene or wooden pad under the bucket. This also prevents the clay pots from bursting.

Tip: It is important to think about watering with all container plants, even in winter. The soil should always be slightly damp - waterlogging must be avoided at all costs. The fact that potted plants are "poured dead" over the winter actually happens more often than they dry up.

Make garden furniture winterproof

Moisture, frost and direct sunlight shorten the lifespan of garden furniture, regardless of whether it is made of wood, metal or plastic. In order to protect the material and prevent it from fading, they should be protected from the weather as much as possible. First you have to decide whether the garden furniture will also be used in autumn and winter. If the furniture stays outside all year round, a suitable protective cover or cover made of plastic is recommended. Since moisture quickly collects under the material when it is exposed to sunlight and fungal attack can occur, it is important that the furniture is dry and clean when packing.

If the garden furniture is not to be used during the winter, it makes sense to store it in a frost-free and dry place. The garage, the basement or the garden shed come into question.

Tip: If loose screw connections are tightened and hinges are oiled before wintering, the garden furniture will work perfectly next spring and can be used immediately.

A loyal garden companion that is often forgotten when preparing for winter is the lawn. Like your Make your lawn really winter-proof, you can find out in our special article.