Clean up the garden

Cleaning up the garden in preparation for winter can help to eliminate some of the diseases and pests that could survive the winter on the dead plants and return in the spring when the new plants are planted. There are several things a person needs to do to clean up their garden to prepare it for winter.

Making compost

Making compost for the garden is a great idea. Compost can enrich the soil and help future plants thrive. But when a person is making compost from the plants from their garden from that year they should make sure that the plants that they are using to make the compost are disease free. Any plants that are diseased should be removed from the garden and destroyed. Leaving these diseased plants in the garden could destroy future plants with the same disease.

Remove leaves and weeds

Another thing that a person needs to do when preparing their garden for winter is to remove the leaves and weeds from their garden. The piles of leaves and weeds can also be a housing and breeding ground for pests and diseases over the winter. By removing the leaves and weeds, the garden will no longer be a good place for the pests and diseases to survive.

Trim perennials

Perennials are plants that come back each year since their roots survive. The part of the plant that is above the ground will die, however, and does need to be trimmed. It does not harm the plant for a person to cut back the foliage that is dying. In the fall, the gardener should cut the plant a few inches above the ground. Getting rid of the dead portion of the plant will make room for the new plant to grow and thrive the next spring.

Remove the vegetables and annuals

Since annuals do not come back each season, these plants should be removed from the garden. There is not reason to leave them in the garden. The same goes for vegetables. A person will need to replant their garden in the spring and should not leave any of the vegetables or the vegetable plants in the garden. A person should remove the plants and their roots and add the disease free plants to their compost pile.
Getting it ready

After cleaning up the garden, there are a few things that a person should do to get their garden ready for the winter months.

Add some mulch

In places where the winter months are very cold, adding mulch is a great idea. Mulch will help protect the plant's roots. When the climate is cold the mulch should actually be added after the ground freezes. By adding the mulch after the ground freezes it can help to keep the soil temperatures even while it also protects the roots.

Winterize

There are some containers and some plants in gardens that cannot withstand cold, cold winters. Some containers that people use in their gardens can crack and freeze. Some plants can easily die if all of their roots are not underground. To protect these plants and containers a person can bring them indoors for the winter, putting them in a garage or basement. Or they can at least get them out of the elements by placing them out of the elements. Putting a blanket or plastic wrap a few layers thick can also keep these plants and containers protected during the cold winter months.