Hello Gardeners and Growers! It is getting cold outside. It is time to clean up your garden and prepare the soil for winter. The key to a bigger and better garden in the spring, is to properly get your garden ready for winter. This is crucial and separates the "real deal gardeners" from the "newbies."
The main items your garden needs for the winter is long term nutrition or "food" to eat all winter long. The soil also wants a nice blanket of composted mulch to keep warm in the cold months. Giving your garden long term winter nutrition and helping protect the soil surface with composted wood mulch will keep the soil nice a pliable and ready for big spring growth. Here are the simple steps:
1.) Pull out all dead plants materials (annuals). Leave the roots for added organic matter to be decomposed over the winter.
2.) Leave all plants you want to have grow next year (perennials) or leave them to incorporate into the soil. More food!
3.) Use a spade or shovel to gently turn up the existing soil. You do not want to use a rototiller as you can cut up any amazing worms that may be in the soil. You do not want to kill your worms!
4.) Add a super nutritious organic soil amendment of compost to the soil surface. Your soil craves macro and micro nutrients in the winter like calcium, manganese, sulfur, boron, mycorrhizae, organic matter, vermicompost, paramagnetic rock powder, and lots more. If your organic compost does not have trace minerals, it will not give your garden the "buffet" of diverse food it wants for maximum growth. BOOST Soil Amendment by Full Circle has 40+ ingredients for maximum nutrition.
5.) Add a 1/2-1 inch layer of a composted woody mulch to the soil surface. A composted mulch will act as a blanket to keep you soil nice a warm and protect it from the harsh winter. Also, if you use a composted wood mulch like Full Circle PROTECT, it is already partially decomposed and will slowly be "eaten" by your soil adding slow release nutrition and organic matter. If you use a non-composted mulch, it may take energy away from your soil and not break down properly.
6.) BOOOOOM! Your done. Your garden is now ready to hibernate all winter long.
Please visit fullcirclecompost.com and our blog at fullcirclecompost.com/the-scoop-compost-blog/ for more awesome information!
