Organic Vegetable Garden
Organic Vegetable Garden Winter Checklist
There is not so much to do in an organic vegetable garden in winter, but a little preparation now on fine days will yield huge benefits in the seasons to come. Consult this handy checklist to be sure you have all the bases covered for both your vegetable and fruit crops.
Tidying
Remove plant debris from your vegetable beds and add it to the compost. Turn compost from time to time.
Clean tools and store them in a dry place to prevent rust.
Check fences and sheds for any repairs that are needed to keep them waterproof over the winter. Repaint with an environmentally friendly paint or preservative.
Mulching
Covering your beds with mulch will protect from frost where necessary and stop weeds growing at this time when they are hardest to remove. For mulch you can use old carpet, fallen leaves or bark that you can purchase from the garden supplies store.
Pruning
Most fruit trees will benefit from pruning in the winter, after the last of the crop has been picked and leaves have fallen. Pruning helps produce a bigger crop next year and keep growth at a height where you can access all of the fruit.
Most apple and pear trees produce fruit on shoots that are more than one year old. Therefore, try to leave a balance of new and one year old shoots when you are pruning. This will ensure a good crop next year and a healthy, fruitful tree for the long term.
Cut out dying and damaged wood and trim off any branches that cross or create a mass. Air and light needs to get in around all shoots. Apple trees are usually cut into a goblet shape, leaving the center empty for aeration and so that most fruit grows to the sides where it is more accessible.
Blueberries should be pruned late in the winter. In the first couple of years after planting, let the strongest branches flourish and prune off any weaker or low growing shoots. You will not want blueberries to fruit in the first two years because it stunts their later growth, so you will cut off any fruit buds that begin to form in the following seasons.
With a mature blueberry bush, cut off any low or weak shoots and thin the plant by removing about one fifth of the canes, taking out the oldest canes. Trim about 6 inches off the remaining canes.
Rabbiteye blueberry varieties can be pruned down to 6-12 inches height. Highbush varieties can be taken right down to ground level.
Raspberries should have been pruned down to ground level as soon as fruiting was over.
Planning Ahead
Winter is the time to plan all that you want to do in the garden in the coming year. Take stock of your successes and failures over the past seasons, consider how to manage crop rotation and research any new vegetables that you would like to try. Winter is a wonderful time for sitting in a warm house with seed catalogs, sketching out all your ideas to produce a bumper crop in your organic vegetable garden next year.
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