Garden Maintenance Made Easy

Let’s be real for a second: garden maintenance at every seasonal change starts to feel like the chicken dance after a while. “Clean up your Garden”, “Prep Your Plants”, and “Feed your soil!” *Clap* *Clap* *Clap* *Clap*

At the most basic level, if you understand this concept, you know how to garden. Sure, there are plants that have more complex nutritional or preparational requirements. But at the core of general plant care, these are the three pillars of what it takes to support and manage a happy and healthy garden. That’s it!

“So, I can get a professional-looking garden by following these three simple rules to the letter?” Well…not quite. See, while you can build a basic table with plywood and at least three equally tall legs, can you use it to host a dinner party? Probably not. The same idea applies to your garden. These three ideas are simple concepts that can help you stay on track with your late-season garden maintenance, but they’re far from comprehensive.

 

 

Clean Up Your Garden:

Cleaning up your garden involves a handful of simple tasks that not only tidy up your garden space, but also keep your tools organized and in top shape for the next time you need them.

• Cut perennials back.
• Trim annual growth.
• Deadhead flowers.
• Drain and store hoses.
• Clean and oil tools before organizing and storing for winter.
• Rake leaves (and save them!).
• Empty finished containers and remove potting soil.

 

 

Prep Your Plants:

Prepping your plants involves both planting and harvesting from your garden. This step ensures that you’re set up for early Spring success and that your established plants have the support they need.

• Bring houseplants and growing containers inside.
• Plant garlic, onions, and shallots for an early spring harvest.
• Try the lasagna planting method, where you plant flowers in the same space, but at different depths based on their blooming season.
  • Plant tulips deeper in the soil, daffodils over them, and snowdrops on top for continuous spring blooming.
• Tender bulbs and corms such as ranunculus, dahlias, begonias, and freesias should be dug up and cleaned off before being stored for the winter (they are not cold tolerant).
• Cover young trees and shrubs to provide protection from harsh winter weather.

 

 

Now Feed Your Soil:

This is the most self-explanatory step but is still an essential part of garden maintenance that encompasses caring for different plants with the inputs they need.

• Apply compost and dry leaves (remember when I told you to save those?) to add a protective layer of organic matter to your soil.
• Water evergreen trees before the ground freezes to provide winter hydration.
• Add All-Purpose Fertilizer to bulbs when planting to fuel root development.
• Break down leftover plant residue with active microbes from the BIOACTIVE Liquid Biology Bundle.
• Activated Compost adds nutrients and essential microbes to work in your soil throughout the winter season, getting the ground ready for spring.

 

Caring for a garden can involve many individual tasks, but you can break those chores down into three categories that make it easier to stay on track as you finish up this season. Tucking away your garden for the season doesn’t have to be a mile-long list, and we’re here to help you make it just a little easier.

For more info on putting your garden to bed this year, contact our home garden experts!

 

Get a head start with these products:

All-Purpose Fertilizer When your garden, beds, or lawn need more fertility without requiring the volume of compost, use All-Purpose Fertilizer. This is an organic 4-6-4 granular fertilizer inoculated with Mycorrhizal Fungi. These fungi may improve nutrient and water uptake by plants. All-Purpose Fertilizer is the perfect choice for supplying nutrients to overwintering bulbs like garlic, onions, tulips, and shallots.	BIOACTIVETM Liquid Biology Bundle BIOACTIVE LiquiLife™ is a liquid biological concentrate that preserves and delivers diverse beneficial microbes for any soil type.  BIOACTIVE Liquid Supercharger™ infuses your soil with trace minerals to give you nutrient-dense vegetables and fruits and bigger blooms.  These products work together in your soil to break down crop residue and make your garden easier to care for in Spring	Activated Compost  Activated Compost is an OMRI Listed plant-based compost, made from hand-selected ingredients to help microbial life flourish. Purple Cow Activated makes nutrients more available for plant uptake, making it an ideal amendment to improve soil and growing media. It is also made from a rich base of organic matter to rejuvenate your tired soil over the winter season.