Winterize Your Albuquerque Garden for Springtime 2021 Success – Part Two
Winter season brings cool temperatures and nighttime grows as we head through the winter season. As Fall ends, we see the changing of the seasons, as plants become colorful and dormant and harvest season prospers. During the winter months, in most of the U.S., except in Florida, parts of California, and southern parts of New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas, the cold weather constrains gardening endeavors for most homeowners. Moreover, as the cold months of winter ensue, gardening complications come forward as frost can be damaging to plant life.
As winter is the coldest part of the year for many parts of the U.S., and weather conditions can be harsh, there are several ways homeowners can prepare their garden for the coming spring. To properly winterize a garden, it is more than just simply putting a blanket of equipment. Winterizing includes caring for equipment properly, rearing soil, and fixing any minor issues that could become larger problems in the upcoming spring. Being proactive is a major measure that can be taken by homeowners to protect their gardens. There are three actions that can be taken as reassurance to keep gardens looking beautiful as ever.
Leaf Mold for Your Albuquerque Garden
Leaf mold is another fantastic method to enrich soil. Basically, to create leaf mold, homeowners will want to locate all the leaves in their yard to one area to let it decompose. Additionally, it isn’t nearly as long of a process as it is to create as compost. As fall comes, many homeowners will see the leaves from trees fall. Use the leaves as your supply to make the leaf mold. To create the leaf mold, homeowners will want to rake their leaves into a small area of your yard and cover them with a tarp. By doing this, the tarp will help retain moisture in the leaves and will aid in the decomposing process. As an additional step, homeowners will want to mix and rotate the leaves weekly to assist with the decomposition process. While considerably faster than creating compost, if a homeowner wants to speed up the process, they will need to use a lawn mower or weed whacker to shred the leaves.
When it comes time to winterize their garden, homeowners will want to spread the leaf mold throughout the yard to create a protective layer. Moreover, homeowners should not hesitate with how much they use and spread around. Like leaf mold, leaf mulch is similar as it protects soil from frost and it also aids with the soil retaining moisture. The process to create leaf mulch is the same as leaf mold as well, but you won not need to store the leaves under a tarp. After gathering the leaves, use a lawnmower or weed whacker to shred them and then spread the leaves throughout the year. This will create the perfect protective layer for the soil to retain moisture. Furthermore, leaf mulch also provides nutrients to the soil as well. Between leaf mulch, leaf mold, and compost, leaf mulch is the quickest way for homeowners to winterize their gardens. However, it lacks in quantity and quality in terms of nutrients it provides the soil of a garden.
General Repairs and Storage
During the winter season, it is important to keep ever stored properly to keep equipment and other essential gardening items functional and in good condition. In areas that have freezing temperatures for long periods of time, it is pivotal to keep hoses, moveable sprinklers, and other watering systems in dry storage. Cool temperatures can be very damaging to watering equipment especially if they retain any type of water. A good measure that can be taken is simply putting them into storage and hanging them to let the water drip out can save homeowners a lot of money. Moreover, hanging equipment in a storage area is a preventive measure to avoid the buildup of dust and debris which can ruin any type of irrigation system. Without water flow, dust and debris buildup can ruin nozzles, filters, and tubing. Furthermore, storing equipment such as irrigation systems during winter provides homeowners with the necessary time needed to do the repairs or replace equipment that is no longer functional. Being proactive to repair equipment is always better than being reactive to avoid larger issues that can occur in the future.
Summing it All Up
As the warmth of springtime approaches at the end of the cold period of the year, a properly winterized garden can be rewarding and enjoyable for homeowners. No weeds, soil that is nutrient rich, and functional equipment is the best start to have as the new season of gardening approaches. Gardening is a process that takes work year-round to remain consistently beautiful.