With our plants all harvested and the air turning crisp and cool, it’s time to start thinking winterizing your garden box. Taking the time to care for your garden boxes in the fall is a key step in helping your garden be productive next year. We recommend taking 3 easy steps to winterize your garden bed for the upcoming season.
Remove Plant Material
Dead plant material can contain bugs or diseases and should be removed. Pull out any roots from your box and remove all stems, branches, leaves and weeds.
Add Compost
Soil is a living ecosystem–the healthier that ecosystem is, the more your plants will grow and produce. To keep that ecosystem thriving, it’s important to periodically amend your soil with nutrient rich material (e.g. compost). Remove the top 1-2 inches of soil from your bed and mix in the same amount of compost or amended soil.
Cover the Bed
The final step to winterize your garden box is to add a cover of organic material to the top of the bed. This can be leaves raked up from the yard, mulch or a combination. Over the winter, this material will break down and add more nutrients to your garden for spring. If you want to take your gardening to the next level, check out our article on Cover Crops!
Taking these steps in the fall will enrich your soil for spring and prime your garden for a great growing season next year.
Fall is also a great time for a little TLC on your Backyard Boxes Garden Boxes. Though cedar is naturally rot resistant and will hold up without treatment, regular application (every 1-2 years) of a non-toxic waterproofer or stain will keep your garden box looking its best. Apply coats as recommended by the manufacturer in the fall to prepare your boxes for the wet winter and spring ahead.