KEEPING ACTIVE
Last week I did a blog on ways to stay fit during these winter months. I want to give you all some thoughts on what we can do this winter to help us stay active and, at the same time, reduce our chore list come spring.
One thing to do is to take advantage of warm, sunny days in January and investigate all your trees and shrubs for any dead, broken, or diseased wood. Most of our plants are dormant, and pruning and cleaning are timely in January.
We all got some good soaking rains in mid to late December. The timing for all this rain could not have arrived better. We never want our plants to be dry going into any cold weather. But, if we should go a while with no rain, we want to give our plants and our lawn a good drink.
Another chore is keeping your leaves raked and in a pile or composting them. Leaves will break down, creating good, natural organic matter for your soil.
Another winter chore idea can be a little contentious for some. The question is, “Do I clean up and cut back all the perennials now, or do I wait until later this winter?” Even though it is dead, leaving all this growth will provide food and shelter for many of our native birds, animals, and beneficial insects that should roam your gardens this winter. Conversely, with a thorough clean-up of your gardens, you are then helping to prevent undesirable insect pests and their eggs from wintering over in your gardens. This is a debate with no right or wrong answer.
Another good winter project is to get into your garden shed. Pull everything out and clean and organize. You can get all your tools cleaned and sharpened.
As you can see, plenty of things to do now in January will get us ahead when spring finally arrives.
HAPPY WINTER GARDENING