As the winter temperatures get colder and the holidays get closer, you may think it’s time to tuck your gardening tools away until spring. The reality is that while gardening may slow down a little in the winter, it doesn’t have to stop. Let’s take a look at some winter gardening tasks that you can do.
Winter Gardening Tasks and Ideas
Indoor seed starting begins next month. Can you believe it? Winter is the perfect time to make sure you have all the supplies you need and order any seeds that you’ve been having a hard time finding so you’ll have your favorites for springtime.
A cold winter night that you spend on a cozy couch with a warm beverage, scrolling through seed catalogs is a must do for your winter gardening tasks. Take a look at Native American Seed Company to find some great native plant options. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds always have a ton of interesting veggies that will get you excited about spring.
Take time to organize the seeds that you curently have. Toss out any years old stragglers that are taking up space to make room for storing new seeds. Get outside before a winter freeze to collect any seeds in your garden from cold-sensitive plants before it’s too late.
Plan. Oh please plan. Winter is a great time to reflect on how your plants treated you and how you treated them in spring, summer and fall. Look back at your gardening notes (you did take notes, right?) and create a plan to make whatever landscape and gardening adjustments you need to. A well thought out plan saves you time and money and the heartache it saves is priceless.
Research plants and plant specifics on our plantfinder tool in our Learning Center. Read past articles and find helpful guides to download on our Learning Center. Hey, you can add them to your notes. (You are going to start taking notes, right?)
Unless you’ve overseeded your lawn with winter rye, you can prep lawn mowers for storage through the winter season. Our warm season grasses slow their growth before going dormant so no need to mow (unless you are mulching fallen leaves).
Before you let your mowers hibernate, be sure to drain them of all fluids, remove blades and sharpen or have them professionally sharpened. Finish with a good wipe down or brushing to remove dried grass and clumps of soil and you’re good to go.
It’s not just your mower blades that need to be sharpened. Gather your pruners and clean off any rust with a wire brush, then sharpen and oil them so when spring pruning comes around, you’ll be able to deliver efficient, clean cuts to your plants.
The professionals at Hello Sharpness can do all that for you and we’ve partnered up to make it easy. Place your work order online at Hello Sharpness, and use our drop boxes at both of our Rainbow Gardens locations.
Lastly but not at all least is my gift to you. “It’s a try it you might like it” to clear your mind of holiday chaos and any worrisome troubles, if just for a moment.
There is something about gardening in the morning during winter in San Antonio. The sun is already peeking through your blinds earlier, beckoning you to make the most of the day. Not to get too deep, but there is a lot of promise to be held in those mornings. You can set your mood and course for the day. Hear me out.
Sure, you could throw on a comfy winter coat and putter around pinching back a few pansies that have gotten leggy, pulling errant weeds, or picking up a couple of stray limbs knocked loose by storms. There is ALWAYS something to do in the garden.
Or… you could put on that same coat and grab a cup of steaming coffee while you stroll around listening to the birds, viewing the most amazing, soft-streaming sunlight and breathing in the sweetest of the day’s air. But for goodness sake, don’t lock yourself out in the cold!
These are time when you ignore those other chores mentioned above. You just enjoy a few moments of quiet and stillness in your winter garden. Each and every season shows you something new, but you gotta take the time to see it.
~The Happy Gardener, Lisa Mulroy
