.jpg)
Well it is that very sad time of year.....winter. Our first frost is scheduled for tomorrow night so I spent the day preparing my garden.
Here's what I did!
1. HARVEST
I always want to do one last harvest before a frost. At this point there isn't much left in my garden but there was one volunteer tomato in my yard that was still growing and a few pepper plants I needed to check for veggies. After I harvest anything that is still good I start hunting for seeds.
2. COLLECT SEEDS
I have been having so much fun collecting seeds this year I didn't want to miss out on any because of the frost. I went through and checked for any more seeds, and boy am I glad I did. I got a bunch more calendula seeds, some beans, and borage.
3. PULL PLANTS
Then after I collected all of the seeds, I will pull any plants that will not survive the frost. This will make my beds clear for any sort of covering I want to put.
4. COVER WITH LEAVES
Lastly, I cover as many of my raised beds as I can with leaves. I focus on beds that have things in them that MIGHT survive the frost, carrots, radishes, greens, lettuces, broccoli and so on. I like to do a 3 to 4 inch layer, more is better but that's all I can fit into my beds otherwise it just falls out. You can also use straw if you do not get a big collection of leaves in your yard. If I have leftover leaves I will also fill the empty beds with leaves. This way they will break down over winter and add a layer of nutrients to my soil. The smaller the leaves pieces the faster they will break down.
5. BEDTIME STORY
KIDDING! That is it, just a quick garden walk through and cover with leaves and my garden is ready for winter.
Now I will spend the winter dreaming of next year's garden!
