Last chance to prepare your garden for winter

You still have time to prepare your garden for the worst ravages of winter. Here are a few tips to help you keep your garden healthy and ready for new growth in spring.

Lawns

• If you have not already, add some fertiliser to your lawn to strengthen it for winter dormancy.
• In warmer and temperate areas of New Zealand you can still over-sow to the thicken the lawn and to repair bare patches.
• Keep lifting fallen leaves off the lawn.
• When mowing, raise your mower height; longer lawns insulate the grass roots.

Planting, Transplanting and Sowing

• Finish planting your spring flowering bulbs.
• This is a good time to transplant trees and shrubs. Do not prune them first unless it is necessary for ease of moving or to improve shape for the new space they will occupy.
• Sow winter vegetables such as broad beans, beetroot, celery, peas, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, spinach, sprouts, onions, lettuce, garlic, leeks, parsnips, turnips and parsley.
• Plant strawberry runners. Choose a sunny position where strawberries have not been grown for at least two years.
• For spring flowers sow flowers such as cornflowers, sweet peas, alyssum, linaria, lobelia and Virginian stock.
• Pots
• Move container plants to drier, sheltered locations. They can be grouped together for mutual protection.
• Do not allow roots to freeze in containers by insulating with bubble wrap or straw.

Clean Up

• Prune away dead branches and any dead or fading flowers.
• Clear up leaf litter, dead twigs, etc. that could harbour pests and disease.
• Add clean mulch around plants, particularly in cold areas and if they are susceptible to frost. Do not pile mulch against the trunks.
• Remove or spray weeds. But remember, herbicides will take longer to work in cold conditions and work best above 10°C.

Compost

In winter, the cold conditions will slow the composting process, but there are some things you can do to keep the compost heap running efficiently:

• Make a bigger compost pile as a bigger pile will hold more heat.
• Build a structure to contain and insulate your compost.
• Insulate your compost pile by covering the pile with a lid or a tarpaulin. An old rug or blanket under the cover will help the insulation.
• Aerate the compost because the composting process requires oxygen. Stir the pile up once a week to prevent your organics from breaking down without oxygen.
• Your compost pile should feel like a rung-out sponge. If it feels dry, wet it a little with a hose or watering can before covering again.
• Chop the material you add to the pile into small pieces less than 5 cm in size. This will allow the pile to heat more evenly and will insulate it from the external cold.

Winter Spray Programme

• Once fruit trees are fully dormant you can start your winter spray programme by applying copper followed a few days later with spraying oil. Wait a further month before applying sulphur.