A change in temperature means changing routines to match the season.
Winter has a way of revealing the bones of a garden. As deciduous trees shed their leaves and summer flowers fade, the garden’s bone structure becomes clear. Paths, trees, hedges and garden beds all play a greater role when flowers are no longer competing for attention.
Any good builder will tell you that a house with good bones is worth keeping, and gardens are no different. Winter is the perfect time to step back and assess your outdoor space. What deserves a more prominent place? What has outgrown its position? Is that expanse of lawn earning its keep? Most importantly, where do people naturally gather and linger? The answers to these questions can help shape a garden that is not only beautiful, but a pleasure to spend time in.
Routine changes
Perhaps the biggest change winter brings is to your watering routine. With regular rain and weaker sunlight, the soil stays moist for much longer, allowing us to ease up on watering the garden. Indoors, it’s a similar story. As we close the curtains earlier, turn on the heater and settle in for cosy evenings, plant growth naturally slows. Combined with cooler temperatures and increased indoor humidity, this means houseplants need much less water than they do in the warmer months. Cut back watering by around half and stop fertilising until spring arrives.
Indoor plants can also benefit from being moved closer to bright windows during winter, where they can make the most of the shorter days and reduced light levels. More sensitive tropical plants may appreciate a little extra insulation. Consider wrapping nursery pots in bubble wrap before placing them back inside their decorative containers. It’s also a great excuse to rearrange the house, brighten up your living spaces and maximise the natural light available to your plants.
Veggie patch
Watching your garlic grow is no fun. Winter is a good time to be productive in other ways. Pull out your seed drawer and take stock of what needs replenishing, sharpen your secateurs, and find an old notebook to sketch out next season’s rotation. It’s also a good time to rethink how much space you need in the patch.
Space in the veggie patch is always at a premium. With garlic crops occupying valuable space until mid-December and tomatoes demanding prime real estate by the end of October, finding room for everything else can be a challenge. For gardeners without the option of adding another raised bed, sowing in clusters of up to five seeds per hole is a great space-saving technique. The cluster of plants can then be planted in one clump, which saves you time and space.
Contrary to popular belief, most vegetables don’t mind being grown this way. It rarely affects crop size through competition, and it allows you to fit far more produce into a single garden bed. This method works particularly well for crops such as beetroot, shallots, spring onions, peas, radish, onions, turnips, leeks, basil, spinach and chard.
When planning your spring crop rotations, it can be helpful to group clusters of vegetables with similar growing requirements. Not only does this simplify planting and maintenance, but it also makes future crop rotations much easier to manage.
Bare-rooted fruit trees will start appearing towards winter. If you’re planning to plant, now is the time to finish preparing the soil. Digging in compost, improving drainage where needed, and thinking carefully about placement will guarantee healthier plants and better fruit. Check out our article on how to prepare your soil for fruit trees.
General maintenance
Winter is the perfect time to relocate plants that aren’t thriving in their current position. Thanks to the recent rain, the soil is moist and easy to work, making the process less stressful for both gardener and plant. Before you begin, prepare the new planting site and give the plant a thorough watering. Once it has been moved, water it in well and apply a seaweed tonic to help reduce transplant shock and encourage strong root growth.
While you’re tending to the garden, spare a thought for cold-sensitive plants such as avocados, curry trees, gardenias and bougainvilleas. An application of seaweed tonic now can help strengthen plants ahead of frosty weather and improve their resilience through winter.
Finally, take a moment to rest. Our bodies require as much down time as the soil in order to recuperate for the following season. Pop the kettle on, settle into a comfy chair and let your mind do the work this winter.
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What to plant now |
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Sow direct |
Broad beans, garlic |
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Plant |
Broad beans, garlic, shallots |
