Tips On Preparing Your Garden For Winter

When the summer ends and autumn is in full swing, it's time to think about putting your garden in order for the winter months to come.  There's a lot to do, and if you're struggling to fit garden jobs in around work and family commitments, you might want to consider hiring a local gardening service contractor to help out.

In the meantime, here are some jobs that you can do yourself to prepare your garden for winter.

Greenhouse

If you have a greenhouse, you may be planning on using it to store tender plants over the winter.  To maximise the shorter, less sunny days and ensure that overwintering plants get plenty of light, remove any greenhouse shading.  

To do this, just make up a solution of hot water and washing-up liquid and give the glass a good scrub.  Rinse the soap away, dry the glass, and you're good to go.  Once you've removed the shading, check the glass for damage and replace any broken or cracked panes. 

Make sure that all gutters are clear and not blocked with fallen leaves.  This ensures that water won't leak into the greenhouse and also discourages pests from hibernating in the debris.

Finally, give the interior of the greenhouse a good sweep out and wash down the windows and floors with a mild disinfectant.  This will get rid of any pests and diseases that could affect your young plants in the spring.

Ponds

Prepare garden ponds by removing any dead plants and raking fallen leaves from the surface.  You'll want to try to keep debris out of your pond over the winter as it can make the water turn foul, potentially harming fish and frogs.  Fallen leaves can also block your pump and filter.  When you've tidied up your pond, spread a fine net over it to catch any more debris, securing the netting firmly with bricks or metal pins.

Lawns

Lawns can take a real pounding over the summer time from pets and kids.  Once your lawn has had its final mowing of the year, remove any thatch and moss with a rake, and then go over the lawn, making deep holes with a garden fork to break up compacted soil and improve aeration.

Brush a light dressing of sand across the prepared lawn, and then give it a feed with a product that's designed to provide nutritional support to the grass over the winter.

There's a lot to do in the garden in order to prepare it for the winter.  You can carry out the above practical tasks yourself and hire a good local gardening service to tackle jobs such as clearing away dead plants, tidying borders and lifting tender plants for overwinter storage.