How to Keep Critters Out of Your Garden
Critters can ruin your garden and put all your efforts to waste. As you work to create a greener life, consider trying some of these tips to protect your garden.
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Growing your indoor herb garden has numerous benefits, like being a source of healthy spices, promoting healthy and creative eating, and overall being a great hobby. Here’s what you need to start growing your own kitchen herb garden.
Awesome and Healthy Vegetables to Grow in the Winter
It is challenging to decide which crops to grow during winter because most of them seem to wither. Most of the times, people don’t plant anything during the cold season; however, there are plants that love the cold and thrive in these temperatures.
If you love gardening, you can still practice your craft during winter.
When Should You Sow Vegetables for Winter Harvest?
When can you sow winter vegetables? The best time to sow for winter harvest is during spring or when summer is starting. This is because it takes more than a month for the vegetables to mature. Winter crops can withstand the low temperatures, and you can harvest them throughout the season.
Tips for Growing Vegetables to Harvest in Winter
Although many plants wither during winter, you don’t have to worry about your crops. You ought to plan appropriately to have adequate plants during this season. Although frost can add flavor to your winter crops, they still need protection from extreme cold. Reading labels helps.
Soil is a crucial factor when it comes to growing winter vegetables. You ought to keep the soil warm for the plants to thrive. If you live in a very cold environment, don’t let the soil freeze because growth slows as temperatures lower. There are also useful resources, such as homemakerguide.com with excellent information.
Best Vegetables to Grow in Winter
Now that you know that plants can thrive in winter, you ought to understand which ones to grow. The following list contains vegetables that do well in the cold season:
Onions and Shallots
Did you know that onions and shallots are winter crops? Green onions and shallots thrive well in cold and rainy seasons. You can plant the onions from cuttings or seedlings. The good thing about onions is that you can grow all types and species during winter.
Kale
Kale is an awesome winter vegetable, and some species have been known to withstand even more harsh conditions. This crop can grow in low-temperature soils as well as during the hot seasons. Kale is one of those vegetables which taste better after exposure to cold.
Parsley
Salad lovers know how much parsley makes the dish taste good. It can be tasteless to eat your favorite salad without parsley; however, this is a winter vegetable, and it thrives in the cold. In fact, it is an all year-round crop.
Garlic
Garlic tastes better in winter. Ensure that you sow your garlic during fall so the bulbs can grow during winter. You can plant any species of garlic because they all thrive in winter; that is why they are known as winter crops.
Lettuce
Which are the best vegetables to grow during winter? You ought to consider lettuce, which thrives when grown in the shade. It can also sprout in the ground or a pot. You can either plant the leafy varieties or focus on the butter crunch type. The leafy type thrives so well and produces large succulent leaves during winter.
Spinach
If you have are an expert in crops, you know that planting spinach can be quiet challenging because they attract a lot of pests. However, it is crucial to remember that most pests hide during winter, this means you can plant and enjoy your Spinach. All spinach species grow during winter.
Peas
Did you know that peas are also winter crops? You can grow a variety of peas species, and they grow well during this season. You can also sow during spring to enjoy your crops in winter or to harvest before others.
Carrots
Carrots taste better in winter because their flavor improves as the temperatures go down. Start planting your carrots in summer and practice mulching to prevent freezing. Remove the mulch when harvesting and enjoy your carrots.
Asparagus
Asparagus are the ideal winter vegetables to grow, especially if you have adequate space. You can create a permanent Asparagus bed during autumn. An asparagus crown produces around 25 buds a year, and they continue to sprout for 25 years.
Issues that can Arise
Although not all plants do well during winter, the ones that do might not flourish when neglected. Some leafy crops might start bolting when under stress. You also need to protect your cabbages from pests such as caterpillars.
Some vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts can easily develop club roots. Flea beetles love leafy vegetables. Also, be aware of snails and slugs which destroy seedlings and leaves.
Conclusion
Winter is a time when most plants stop growing or whither; however, some crops withstand this climate and even taste better. You can start growing your winter crops in autumn or summer. The best thing about winter vegetables is that you can grow a variety of species, and they will all flourish. Although these plants do well in the cold climate, you ought to care for them.
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10 Autumn Gardening Tips
“It was one of those days you sometimes get latish in the autumn when the sunbeams, the birds toot, and there is a bracing tang in the air that sends the blood beetling briskly through the veins.” ― PG Wodehouse Jeeves and the Old School Chum
Autumn. It’s the time of year for tea, slippers and silent reflection. The world swaps out summer cotton for winter woollies, whimsically lighting pinecones in the fireplace again.
There is a slight chill in the breeze and short bursts of farewell rain as summer surrenders. Breathtaking hues take over entire mountainsides in golds, and rust, and red, and chocolate.
The trees in our gardens stand like half-naked sentinels who know the cold is not far off. And we dream of pumpkins and cinnamon and bonfires.
Autumn in the garden is a brilliant distraction from the approaching chill.
Daily transformations in color and form are fascinating, so grab a spade, an ax, and a wheelbarrow, and take some time to appreciate the beauty of it all.
Here are 10 Autumn Gardening Tips you don’t want to miss while you’re out there:
1 Dig in
Autumn is the perfect time to dig in and ready the soil.
Preparing the ground is easier before the soil freezes over and the rain dries up.
It is also a good time to move plants around, prepare new flowers beds, and do some elbow-deep weeding in areas you usually neglect.
It will be worth it come planting time!
2 Mulch, Squelch
The compost pile should grow considerably during the autumn months as the grass clippings, tree cuttings, fallen leaves, and the pruning add to its bulk.
Use the increased compost volume to spread life over the prepared flower beds.
It is also a great idea to use the grass and leaf cuttings in a mulch.
Cover 5 – 10 centimeters deep over tender plants, newly planted seeds or bulbs.
The mulch protects the plants from the harshest of the winter and creates an extra layer of moisture and warmth, too.
It also provides another warm sanctuary for the creatures of your garden ecosystem to hide under.
3 Prune, snap, and chuck
It’s a cathartic exercise, as well as an essential part of a gardener’s repertoire.
Swing the ax, snap those branches, and throw it all on the compost heap for an extra burst of eco-kudos.
The more you cut back, the greater encouragement there is to for the plant to grow in the spring.
It also helps the plant to survive the cold, dry winter months when there are fewer leaves or branches to sustain on meager winter resources.
TIP: Remember not to throw any infected plants on to the compost heap as this could spread through the garden. Rather burn any diseased plants than risk infecting the rest of your organic material in the compost.
4 Got it covered?
If you are in a particularly harsh winter climate location or are subjected to heavy frost, be sure to use protective covers on your most precious plants to help them make it through.
Tender seedlings and perennial shrubs may need a cover like regular frost cloth, an old bed sheet or a screen on the bad weather side.
TIP: Plastic is not recommended as it does not leave any breathing room.
5 Tender and Sweet
Late autumn is a good time to prepare the seedling trays, placing them under a cover, or in a greenhouse-type climate.
The seedlings will be ready for planting once the worst of the winter is over.
If you have tender young shrubs or trees in the ground, consider covering these in the final few weeks before the real cold sets in.
6 Bulb Heroes
Bulbs are quite hardy and may be planted in the ground during the autumn months.
Tulips, Crocus, Hyacinths, Daffodils, and Snowdrops are perfect autumn-planting, spring-flowering bulbs. Lillies are planted in autumn, too, and should flower in summer.
Be sure to check with your local nursery about bulbs which won’t make the winter so you know when to dig them up for safe-keeping.
7 Save the Wild Things
Autumn is a trying time for the creatures who rely on titbits from the garden, so pitch in a little for them, too.
- Stock up on the bird feed, including overripe fruits and vegetables you will not eat yourself.
- Take dormant (slow, or still) butterflies away from heated rooms or walls to non-heated places so they don’t emerge too early from their cycle.
- Don’t tidy up the garden too much. Leave some places for little birds and creatures to shelter, and for insects to nest.
8 Fertilize
It is a perfect time to fertilize when the leaves are falling.
Prepare the new flower beds, plant, and prune, and then fertilize the soil so it has time to replenish itself for the rigors of spring.
Compost and mulch work well with organic fertilizers to restore life to the ground during autumn rest.
9 Water
The drier seasons are also a great time to look at water-saving methods for both garden and home.
- Try out new methods of collection and saving,
- install rainwater collection tanks,
- use condensation techniques, fix drainage systems, and
- look into grey water usage from the shower, baths, and laundry.
10 Hearty Vegetables
Finally, early autumn is the best time to plant winter veg for hearty soups and belly-warming stews.
Cabbage, onions, broad beans, peas and broccoli are a great addition to the Pinterest-worthy squashes you’ll already be showing off to the neighbors.
Who says autumn gardens are boring?
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