Wednesday, January 09, 2013

By John Voket, RISMedia Consumer Confidant I am curious as to what you’re all doing now that the yard has 'closed for the season.' If you answered “not much,” or “not mulch…ing,” well maybe you should be!

Andrea Peck, a Master Gardener from San Luis Obispo, Calif., recently blogged about the importance of winter mulching for property owners in her temperate region of the country. Peck writes, as winter weather lowers temperatures, replenish mulch where needed and adjust watering systems to cut down on unnecessary water use.

She also offers these pointers:

• Move sensitive container plants to a protected location or indoors when frost threatens. And drape a sheet or burlap over a frame to protect in-ground plants.
• Prepare vegetable beds for spring by layering on a thick sheet of mulch and fertilizer.
• Clear out annuals past their prime and tidy thoroughly before weeds latch on and pests find a home in the fallows.
• Prune deciduous fruit and non-fruit trees now leaving strong, healthy branches ,and trim off weak, diseased or dead branches. Branches that cross or appear crowded obstruct growth, and weak limbs exposed to high winds should be lopped.

According to Peck, if you want to do some planting, selections of bare root roses are available, along with ageratum, calendula, larkspur, lavatera, phlox. This is also the time to plant artichokes, rhubarb and other bare root vegetables.

Spring flowering bulbs, such as tulips, hyacinth and crocus can be sown now, too. Just make sure bulbs have been chilled in the refrigerator for at least 6 weeks. And ample mulching, 8”-12”, discourages weeds and frost damage.

For more region-specific winter planting and garden prep or care tips, call or web-search the Master Gardeners chapter in your region, county or state. And if you're already an expert, stay tuned for a visit with your sisters- and brothers-in-mulch in Germany.

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