Winterize your Lawn and Garden

Winterizing treatments in October and November will help to produce a lush, healthy lawn and bountiful garden come spring. When the snow melts and the warm sunshine returns, the lawn will green up faster, and the garden will be ready to deliver the first tender onions and lettuces.

How to winterize your lawn:

1. Trim the grass
 Mow your lawn to a moderate height and leave the clippings on top to return some nitrogen to the soil. The grass clippings also serve as insulation against bitter winter winds that could otherwise dry out the soil and soil microbes, which are vital to plant growth.

2. Remove weeds 

Weeds grow rapidly, so any stragglers left to overwinter will quickly outgrow the grass in the spring. Use a tall weeding tool to simplify the task of removing dandelions and other stubborn intruders without causing back strain. This may be why weeding a favourite way for children to earn extra money!  
 

3. Aerate
 Aerating the lawn breaks up thatch and moss to allow nutrients, air and water to reach down to the roots. Use mechanical aerators for large lawns, or inexpensive spike shoes or push rollers for smaller lawns. 

4. Test and adjust the pH
 Lawns typically grow best at a neutral pH. Testing kits are available at garden supply stores. If a lawn is too acidic or too alkaline, grass will not grow well, leading to thin patches and/or an overgrowth of weeds. Soil acidity is influenced by the soil’s natural composition (e.g., minerals, clay) as well as nearby plants especially evergreen trees, so it is a good idea to test in multiple spots. In acidic areas, apply lime and in areas that are too alkaline, apply sulfur.
 
 

5. Nutrients
 A few top dressings will blanket your lawn for a peaceful winter slumber. Bone meal, a slaughterhouse by-product, is considered a slow-release fertilizer that mainly supplies phosphorus and calcium. Compost and compost teas will supply nitrogen, phosphate and potassium plus a host of other nutrients. Standard fertilizer is another option, although it should be applied sparingly to avoid burning the grass.

How to winterize your garden

1. White, powdery mildew is a common blight on gardens; it typically starts on a few leaves in the mid-summer and within weeks, it will have spread to almost the entire plant causing leaves to turn brown, crumble and die. One way to get this mildew under control is to immediately remove any affected leaves and put them into the garbage. In the autumn, as you prepare your garden for winter, again be sure to put these leaves into the garbage rather than mixing them into the soil or compost bin since mildew can overwinter to reemerge next season.
 
 

2. All other plant material can be cut up and left on top of soil to maintain moisture and eventually feed important creatures in the soil cycle such as earthworms.
 
 

3. The roots of bean plants hold a relatively large amount of nitrogen as well as phosphate and potassium. Instead of ripping up these roots, leave them in place as a perfect storage vessel that will slowly decompose and add nutrients into the soil just in time for spring.

4. Most fruits and vegetables require a slightly acidic pH in the range of 6.0 to 6.5; however, there are some outliers: at the acidic end of the spectrum are potatoes, eggplants, blueberries, cucumber, etc. according to the GrowVeg online magazine. Plants that prefer neutral to alkaline soils (a pH of 6.5 to 7.5) include broccoli, cabbage, grapes, lettuce, etc. Test the soil and either grow the fruits and vegetables best suited to your conditions or amend your soil by applying lime to reduce acidity or sulfur to boost acidity.

For both lawn and garden, the very last task before you hang up your tools for the winter is cleaning. Trowels, clippers, shovels, lawn mower can host persistent and unwanted microorganisms. Wipe and wash off all of your equipment. Wearing protective goggles, finish with a rinse of diluted chlorine bleach, then allow them to completely air dry. Lastly, prevent rust from developing on tools by applying a layer of vegetable (cooking) oil using a rag. 

These steps will boost your lawn and garden plus save you money.