The majority of what must be done to prepare for winter is a matter of simply cleaning-up your garden area, and covering up the gardening spot.

Practical steps to preparing your outside garden for winter involve:

1) Defending plants.
There are several viewpoints (and perhaps zone considerations) that need to be considered on whether to cut-back plants or leave them standing thru the winter.

In my location (on the prairies) most folk leave their perennials standing rather than cut them back for several reasons. The main reason is that trapping the snow cover is crucial for protection of plants and holding-in moisture. Snow cover acts the same as a good mulch by insulating the soil.

Many evergreen stems and seed heads are also awfully engaging for winter interest and supply food for the birds. After the ground freezes, mulch evergreens and plant beds with pine needles, compost, peat moss, or sliced leaves. This protects the soil and plant roots and moderates the effect of acute temperature changes in winter times of freezes and unfreezes.

In your area, the climate changes may not impact your garden area so it is likely you may want to cover the area with a good mulch blend. Some gardeners even use a combination of mulch, newspapers, and broken-down cardboard boxes to cover the area.

2. Cleaning-up the garden.
Cleaning around your garden area will make your spring preparation much more pleasant. It will help bring closure for your gardening season, and will help your in your planning for your next season gardening.

You will want to crop all warm-season crops (like tomatoes) although they may still be green. Many gardeners will place unripened tomatoes on windowsills, or layer them in boxes with papers between the layers. The tomatoes can slowly ripen so it helps extended the pleasures of your garden crop. While some of these ripening methods are not my favorite in terms of eating plant-ripened produce, it certainly is far better than allowing them to go to waste. I always prefer to eat plant-ripened produce. Of course, you may also want to use green tomatoes for fried green tomatoes or numerous green tomato recipes.

Pull out any remaining crops or spent annuals, clean up remaining waste and weeds to reduce the chance of illness issues in the spring.

3. Gauging your garden design.
Prior to your efforts to winterize your garden, take a minute or two to study and document what worked and what failed to live up to your gardening standards. You should make good notes of any areas that you want to change in the spring. With a few months of winter ahead you will likely not remember all the exact difficulties you had with your garden, so it is a very good idea to keep a journal of your successes and failures. It will help you in your planning for the upcoming planting season.

4. Prepare the soil for early spring seeding.
Many new gardeners often neglect this important winterizing tip. Frozen soil, snow, or other climate conditions may impact the timing of this task, but it’s certainly a benefit to your future garden.

Take time to turn-over the garden soil late in the season, and improve your soil by amending with organic material like leaves, compost, or well-rotted dung. This will add new life to your upcoming growing season, and help with your garden yields.

5. Caring for trees and gardens.
Protect the tender bark of young trees from rabbits and chewing monsters by wrapping stems or trunks with chicken wire or commercial tree-guard products. To stop rodents from nesting near buildings and trees, trim tall grass, and remove weeds. Make sure your trees and plants are adequately watered and composted so they go into the winter season well hydrated.

Do not prune plants and trees as it may excite new growth just before the cruel weather. Cut grassed areas and add organic fertilizers (if you want) with a low nitrogen ‘winter’ mix. Use grass clippings for mulch or compost. Never send them to the rubbish heap, as they ‘re glorious fertilizer left on the turf (if they don’t seem to be too long) and / or make brilliant compost / mulch dug directly into the garden or utilized for paths.

6. Remember that now is the time to plant bulbs.
Garden centers carry many types that are appropriate for your zone area. Keep in mind: You will want to buy top-quality. Inexpensive is not always the better option. Typically, the bigger the bulb the bigger the bloom. Look for fatness of the bulb, firmness, clean skin, and surface.

Directions for planting are usually always included with the package.

7. Composting.
Composting can be one of your most important chores in shutting down your garden for winter. You will want to compost your dead plant waste and leaves. The compost will add vital nutrients to your new garden.

Leaves are a valuable natural resource and take little effort to reuse into an excellent soil conditioner (leaf mildew) for the yard and garden. You can make leaf mold by the same process nature does.

Pile up wet leaves and wait for them to rot or shred the leaves into smaller pieces before piling them up. If you want, you can enclose the pile with chicken wire, snow fencing, or something similar. (In the spring, I rake up dry leaves and dig them directly into the plant garden.)

8. Store Gardening Equipment
Clean the soil from all of your gardener’s equipment, oil any wooden handles and moving parts, sharpen any blades, and then keep them in a dry place for the winter. Water Gardening. Bring in pumps, drain, clean, refill (if obligatory) and store tender water plants before freezing.

9. Bringing in your indoor plants.
Use sterilized potting soil acquired from garden centers or shopping malls if re-potting your plants. Do not use garden soil as it may harbor insects, weed seeds, illness, and fungi.

When you’re living off the vegetables you’ve planted, your health is bound to prosper from the organic nourishment. If you intend to hone your gardening skills, here are some simple ideas we’ve found for better homesteading:

Cultivate Potatoes in Barrels

Potatoes can be grown in plastic 50 gallon barrels, which are difficult for rodents to chew. Stack the barrels on a raised platform, then drill a few holes at the base for drainage purposes. Take a few potatoes, which have begun to sprout, and slice them into squares. Dry them out to prevent wet rot, then plant them in the barrels with some soil and compost. As the plant reaches the top of the barrel, plant horseradish or bush beans as a companion plant to ward off pests. . When the potatoes are ripe for harvest, kick over the barrel and collect your crop.

Plant Herbs and Flowers with Your Garden Produce

You can attract pollinators to your vegetable garden by inter-planting your crop with a variety of herbs and flower species. Flowers in rich hues of blue and yellow lure bees, which encourage pollination. You’ll be assured of good crops in your harvest of tomatoes, eggplant and peppers. Herbs such as dill, fennel and parsley entice beneficial insects like ladybird beetles. These feed on the pollen and nectar of flowers and lay their eggs on the crops. The larvae will gorge on pests that threaten your vegetables.

Mulch Your Garden

You can prevent weeds from insidiously destroying your vegetables, and retain ground moisture, by mulching. Additionally, mulching permits you to moderate the temperature of the soil. It’s best to resort to material that decomposes, thereby adding organic matter to the soil. Your mulch material can range from shredded leaves to newspaper and cardboard:

• Shredded leaves. This nutrient-rich mulch is ideal for vegetables, flowerbeds and fruits. Shred the leaves with a lawn mower before covering the ground.

• Newspapers and cardboard. Smother the weeds around the pathways and plants with several layers of newsprint and cardboard. Blanket the material with shredded leaves or bark in a thick covering. Replace the paper as your garden grows.

• Tree bark. The most common form of mulching, you can obtain them by the bag from gardening stores. Take care that you purchase real bark. Then spread the pieces over the soil in your garden.

You’ll be a happy homesteader by following the pointers for better gardening and homesteading. Watch your vegetable garden flourish!

Rearing Livestock in Your Homestead

Your small home farm is ideal for keeping poultry. The suburban backyard often provides sufficient land space to build a coop for your hens. A moveable coop, or chicken tractor, will ensure your hens access different patches of ground. You’ll satisfy your requirement for fresh eggs daily. Free-range eggs are healthier as they are devoid of the steroids fed to farm hens, which are transferred to eggs sold on supermarket shelves. If you rear your chickens for meat, your poultry will provide you with an excellent source of low cholesterol meat.

Storing and Preserving Your Garden Vegetables

Your garden produce should be fittingly preserved, or stored, to last through the cold winter months. You should proceed to can, dry or freeze your harvest immediately after picking your tomatoes, summer squash, beans and peas while they are fresh. Vegetables like carrots, turnips and cabbage should be put into cold storage. You can consume your crops garden fresh up to six months after harvesting.

For crops from a small garden, store your produce in an old refrigerator. Large harvests may need a root cellar, perhaps under the house or in a corner of the yard. The temperature will be low enough in winter to maintain the freshness of your vegetables. Insulate the door well to prevent frost from destroying your season’ growth.

Only store those crops that are free from damage and disease. Root crops must be picked fresh and promptly stored at just above freezing temperatures in wet sawdust. Potatoes must be cured at about 70oF for a fortnight, then packed in slightly moist sawdust and stored below 40oF. Locate your onions and garlic on shelves in an area with about 60% to 70% humidity. A cold basement may suffice for this.

You can keep your chickens for eggs or meat in your backyard with little cost. As you won’t be pumping your poultry with chemicals, the eggs and meat you consume will be rich in protein and nutrients. Be sure to store the harvest from your garden well to last through the winter. And elevate your health and wellness to astounding degrees with homesteading and gardening!