DIG IT: Ready garden for winter

Question: My neighbors, still bustling around their yard, said they are "putting the garden to bed." Can you tell me what this means?

Answer: There are many things to do to prepare your garden for winter. By taking a few extra steps now, you can give your plants the best chance for vigorous growth in the spring.

Fall gives us an opportunity to enrich our soils with leaves gathered from our yards, one of the best things you can do to improve the poor soils we have here in Colorado Springs.

Once our vegetable bed has stopped producing, we can:

• Remove dead plants or chop them up and shovel them into the soil.

• Till the soil, either by hand or with a power tool.

• Work nutrient-rich amendments into the soil: manure or manure tea, compost, bone meal, blood meal.

• Top off the soil with a mulch layer, using organic materials such as weed-free straw, grass hay, dried leaves or grass clippings.

Experts recommend removing leaf litter from around aspen trees, as their leaves might reintroduce over-wintering bacteria. The same holds true for other plants, such as iris.
Mulching the beds is an easy way to compost right where plants will grow next year. It is a great way to add nutrients to the soil and keep moisture in the soil, encouraging healthy microbes and worms.

One form of mulch-to-compost is called "lasagna gardening," where you layer the beds with newspapers, a little soil and material you might normally compost. Winter precipitation will break down the materials into compost that can be turned under in the spring.

If we have a dry winter, add a little water to the mulched beds monthly, when temperatures are above 40 degrees and you are doing your winter watering of trees, shrubs and perennial flowers.

For flower beds, consider leaving some plants standing for winter interest. Others can be cut down, transplanted or divided and shared with your neighbors. Weed the beds one last time, add soil amendments such as compost, and mulch to keep moisture available for plant roots.

Now is the time to plant your spring-blooming bulbs, such as tulips, daffodils, crocuses or hyacinths. Be sure to lift tender, summer bulbs such as dahlias and gladiolus to dry and store for the winter.

Other fall chores can include:

• Turning the compost pile and starting the next one.
• Clean, sharpen and oil gardening tools.
• Aerate and fertilize the lawn.
• Drain hoses and sprinkler systems.

If you would like to move a bedding plant indoors for the winter, transplant it into fresh soil in a pot and treat it for insects. If you bring in your herbs, you will have a great source for fresh flavors all winter. Rosemary, in particular, is tender and will not hold up to our bitter winter weather. Geraniums do very well as house plants and will bloom profusely in a sunny window.

This is also a great time to put in any new beds you want for spring planting. This way, there's no delay when spring finally rolls around.

For those long winter nights, collect all your nursery catalogs to make your plans for next year, and dream about the possibilities.

Submitted by Karen Dayberry, Colorado Master Gardener; 636-8921 or csumg2@elpasoco.com.