Seasonal Tips
Winter
Winter is a time for planning the next growing season and putting things to rest and doing some cleanup. However, if you planted cool weather vegetables, you may still be harvesting well into December and maybe later. Winter weather can be unpredictable in our area, with spells of warmth followed by frigid temps like a roller coaster. While there are chores to do, for the most part winter is a season of rest in the garden.
Flowers, Shrubs, Trees, and Vegetables
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Planting of trees and woody shrubs can be done as long as the ground is not frozen, which can often be into mid-December.
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This is a great time to look at your garden and plan for changes you would like to make in the Spring. There are lots of free garden catalogs available to get ideas, and seeds can be ordered now for a better selection.
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If you have dull pruners or dirt-encrusted shovels, now is the time to pay some attention to your garden tools. There are tool sharpening services at local hardware stores if you don’t want to attempt it yourself. Cleaning and doing maintenance on your tools now will give you a head start when spring arrives.
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Pruning of trees and bushes can be done in late winter or early spring, while they are still dormant. Some plants and bushes benefit from hard pruning before they show any growth, particularly those that bloom on new wood, i.e. panicle hydrangeas, butterfly bush, and some types of clematis to name a few.
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If you planted cool weather vegetables, make sure you continue to water. It is easy to think that you don't need to with the cooler weather, but if there is not enough rain to provide at least a few inches a week to the garden, then you should be watering.
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December-January, if temps start getting to 25-28 degrees, some vegetables may need row covering to extend their season. There are Kales, Lettuces, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, and some root vegetables that can handle colder temps and even taste better after being kissed by frost, but row cover can extend the season on some of your greens as the temps start to really dip into the 20's.
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January and February are when winter sowing of annuals, perennials, and veggies can start. There is information available via Google and YouTube on how to do this.
​Spring
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Coming soon!
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​Summer
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Coming soon!
Fall
Fall is such a welcome time in the garden, with the heat of summer (hopefully) behind us and the promise of cooler days and enough rain to ease watering chores. Here are some suggestions for gardening chores best done during these cooler days, before winter brings us freezing temps. Keep in mind our planting zone, which tells you the average annual extreme minimum temperature. The Lake Ridge Community falls in planting zone 7b, Piedmont Region.
Flowers, Shrubs, & Trees
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September into October is the best time to take care of any lawn needs such as aeration, overseeding, and fertilization.
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This is also a wonderful time to plant shrubs and trees. They will have time to get established without the stress of summer heat.
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Fall is not the time to trim evergreens or prune bushes or trees. Pruning will stimulate growth that may not harden off before winter and thus be susceptible to freeze damage. Wait until late winter or early spring.
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Replace tired-looking summer annuals with cool-season color such as snapdragons, pansies, violas, mums, asters, ornamental kale, etc. These will survive past our early frosts, and some can provide color during the winter months as well.
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Divide spring and summer blooming perennials if needed. Iris, daylilies, coneflowers, and phlox are a few that will benefit from the division at this time. Peonies can also be divided now if propagation is desired.
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Harvest seeds from annuals and perennials once the seed pods or flower heads are dried out.
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Before the first frost, take cuttings from tender plants including coleus and begonias if you want to make more of these plants. They can be rooted in water, or directly into a mix of dampened vermiculite and perlite. Once they produce roots, new plants can be potted up and overwintered until spring.
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Hold off on the usual “fall garden clean up” such as cutting back the stems of perennials- their seed heads provide winter food for the birds along with providing ornamental value in the garden. New research also shows that many beneficial insects use the hollow stems to overwinter, as well as the leaf litter we usually tidy up. The more of these beneficial insects that survive, the stronger the food web is for birds and all of the animals and plants that depend on these insects for both food and pollination. Wait until the temps warm up in Spring to clear out your garden beds.
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Late fall is the time to plant spring-blooming bulbs. And when you find that stray bag of forgotten bulbs, bulb planting can be done in early winter too as long as the ground isn’t frozen!
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Vegetables
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If you are not planting fall crops and will have empty beds over the winter, now is a great time to do soil testing and determine what amendments you can be working on for next year's garden.
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If you will have an empty bed over winter, mulch, or use cover crops (also known as green manure). I have used vetch and crimson clover which have nitrogen-fixing capabilities, but there are many others. Just keep in mind when the first frost is and when you are broadcasting/sowing seeds, as some cover crops need more time to grow before the first frost than others. Also, each has unique characteristics that you might be interested in if you want to research them further. Besides vetch and crimson clover, other cover crops that are good for fall planting are winter rye, ryegrass, and winter peas.
Vegetables, Continued​
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If you grow in containers, you don't need to grow a cover crop, but don't throw away your soil unless you had a diseased plant in it previously. Otherwise, you can use what's left as part of your amendments for next year's container soil.
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In September you "may" still get some summer vegetables in the garden if you plant early enough. Look for regular and early varieties that can mature in less than 50-60 days, including germination. You can increase your selection if you start your seeds indoors.
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Fall is the time to grow cool-weather vegetables like garlic, green onions, arugula, mustard, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, broccoli, brussels sprouts, beets, spinach, lettuce, turnips, carrots, chard, leeks, and shallots.
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If you plan to grow fall crops and have not already amended your soil, you will want to do so prior to sowing or transplanting. You can use composts in both in-ground and containers. In containers, you can also add some slow-release fertilizer and/or if you prefer, other more organic amendments like blood meal, bone meal, kelp, meal, and there are others if you research further.
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Just as can be done with summer crops, you can use succession planting with fall crops so that all of one type of vegetable is not ready for harvest at the same time. For instance, in my garden, I will succession plant carrots, lettuces, tatsoi, and radishes.
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Intercrop or use shade cloth to provide protection to seedlings and transplants if the heat is still too high. For instance, it's mid-September now, and the temps are still a little too warm so I'm using shade cloth to cover several areas in my garden. I also have some cabbage and lettuce in containers and I placed those in between my pepper plants, which are providing great shade for the location. I also seed peas in my pole bean and bush bean locations, as I will be harvesting and cutting those down by the time my peas start to ramp up.
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In October, plant shallot, garlic, and green onions, once the temperatures have cooled and the days have gotten shorter. Once planted, mulch well and keep watered. Garlic will develop its roots in the fall to early winter, and fully develop its bulbs in the spring to summer. It is harvested in mid-summer.
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Direct sow root crops as they do not like their roots disturbed. Sow things like winter radishes, carrots, beets, and turnips. The goals for the ground to be warm enough to germinate the seed, but not so hot it does not germinate. As well as cool enough that the plant doesn't bolt due to extreme temperature fluctuation. The sweet spot is evening temps in the 50's, and daytime temps in the low 60's-low 70's. But I have gotten away with nights in the mid to high 60's and days in the 70's-80's because the location I planted them has mid-day shade.
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Now is a great time to plan ahead and obtain the materials needed to extend your season further. Things such as frost blankets, or if you are so inclined, build a cold frame, low tunnel, or a hoop-house. While cool weather vegetables do better after being kissed by frosts, there are some that will last longer with row cover. Just keep in mind there are degrees of cold hardiness and it's good for you to know the cold hardiness of what you are planting.