Frost Is Coming: Your guide to putting the garden to bed for winter

The leaves are falling and the temperature is dropping, but that doesn’t mean our work in the garden has come to an end! Taking the time to put your summer garden to bed for the winter is a great way to set yourself up for success in next years’ gardening season. 

Planet Protectors is brought to you in partnership with the Stark Tuscarawas Wayne Recycling District

First thing’s first- you’ll need to collect your final harvests!

Most of your tender summer crops such as tomatoes, zucchini, beans, peppers and cucumbers won’t withstand the first frost. So you’ll want to get all of your harvesting done before then. In northeast Ohio, we can expect our first frost towards the end of October. For more specifics based on your region, you can visit the Farmer’s Almanac website.  

Remove any inorganic matter from your beds.

Any stakes, trellises and tarps should be removed, cleaned and stored for use next year, if appropriate. Properly storing your gardening tools can be a great way to set yourself up for future seasons, saving money in the long run. 

Dispose of debris- compost is your garden’s best friend! Compost provides your garden with incredible benefits such as..

• Improved soil structure and health
• More beneficial organisms 
• Provides essential nutrients, decreasing the need for chemical fertilizers.   

While compost is great for our garden, it is also great for the environment! Compost greatly reduces the amount of greenhouse gasses being emitted into our atmosphere. Both by improving soil structure and by keeping that waste out of the landfill. The best part is- your garden waste is free to collect and compost!

Pull crops out at the root and place them in a compost pile. If any of your vegetable plants are diseased, they should be kept out of your compost. Some pests (such as squash bugs) are said to back ten fold the following season if they were left to compost. 

To learn more about composting, check out this blog post from the Stark, Tuscarawas, Wayne Joint Solid Waste District.. https://www.timetorecycle.org/vermicomposting-lets-get-started/

Give your perennials some love..

 Tending to your perennials before they go dormant for the winter can help them come back even stronger in the spring. Luckily, most require very little attention..

• Continue watering them until the ground freezes.
• Clear away dying/diseased foliage
• Not all perennials need it, but some of them benefit from being cut back to just a couple inches above soil level.
• Place a layer of mulch (mulched leaves are great!) around the base of the plant for insulation through the frosts.

While some perennials appreciate a little bit of TLC, others need next to no attention. It’s good to know what you’re working with in your garden. You can check out a guide to perennials here. 

Take action now to ensure your future gardens’ success, save your future self a little bit of money and do your part in protecting the environment. Happy gardening!

The Recycling District assures safe and sanitary disposal of solid waste for the residents of Stark, Tuscarawas, and Wayne Counties. Their goal is to reduce reusable or renewable wastes from entering landfills within the district. The Solid Waste District accomplishes this through the development of residential and industrial programs that educate, promote, provide, implement, and improve recycling opportunities that will preserve landfill space now and into the future. Visit www.timetorecycle.org for more information.

Reporting,

Alyssa Harbold