Your winter garden to-do list

After the bountiful months of autumn, winter can bring a sense of stagnation in the garden. However, there is plenty you can do in June and July to make the more productive times even more fruitful.

Plan your garden

The very best thing you can do at this time of the year is take a step back and think about the big picture. Make a cup of tea, pull out one of those pretty notebooks you bought on a whim, and sit with a view of the garden while you draw up a plan.

While chaos gardening is great, if you’ve been known to accidentally pull up seedlings, thinking they are weeds, you need at least a rough plan for what to plant where, and when you’re going to do it. Have a think about what thrived and what flopped over the warmer months. Would a change of location or a bit of matchmaking help some of your veges to go gangbusters? 

We recommend Kath Irvine’s Edible Garden blog and book for up-to-date, regional advice on sowing, growing and planning. This article about knowing your winter landscape makes an especially informative guide for plant and tree positioning.

Do the groundwork

Now is the perfect time for feeding your soil. One easy way to do this is to dump the contents of your compost bin over an empty garden bed, rake it through and cover it with a tarp or weed matting. Throw some big rocks on top to stop it from blowing away. When spring arrives and you lift the cover off, the worms will have done their work, leaving a rich palette ready for growth.

All the autumn leaves falling off your deciduous trees make excellent mulch. Your fruit trees will especially appreciate this food. You can make your leaves best work their magic by following the instructions in this article. Don’t forget to also cover your strawberry beds with straw and winter-over any shady areas of the vege garden with a layer of mulch to keep things warm and ticking over underground.

Future proofing

Have a think about the little things that were bothering you as you worked in the garden over the summer. Now is the time to do all those jobs, making Future You a satisfied worker bee when the sun begins shining. Setting up irrigation, fixing that sticky latch on the gate, getting a new wheel for the wheelbarrow…the list likely goes on. 

If you haven’t already cleared your beds of spent plants, you may also like to collect up any seeds ready for spring. Have a look through your seed stocks and label them, so they are easy to find when it’s time to get seedlings going. Research the best time to get these in the ground for your area and mark dates in your diary.

Sort your shed

Tools need an annual overhaul to really keep them working well. Sharpen your spades and pruning tools and give everything a good clean. Having everything ready to go and easy to find will also lessen the mental load over the busy growing period.

Be a good host

Keep those bird baths topped up! While they may not be as thirsty in the cold weather, water is really important for keeping wild birds warm over winter. When birds bathe, they remove dirt from their feathers, which makes it easier to preen. Oils are released in this process, which waterproofs the feathers and traps air between them for insulation. 

Feeding them will also be much appreciated at this time of year, as birds need extra fat and protein to replace the energy they expend guarding against the cold. Put some energy cakes, logs or truffles out for a high calorie feed. Native birds like the tūī and korimako are back from the bush and forest and looking for a drink at a nectar station. Keep these topped up (and clean!) through the winter.

Ticking off garden jobs in the winter not only makes the spring flush easier to cope with but is also great for getting some sunshine on the skin and eyes. A good dose of vitamin D is always welcome when the days are short!