Creative Ways to Keep Your Garden Thriving Through the Winter Months

Winter is in full swing here in the Pacific Northwest and as I sit in my kitchen, drinking tea, curled up in a quilt, and warmed by the wood stove, I can't help but be thankful that there's really nothing to do in the garden right now.

Winter is a time for relaxing, reprieve, and a break from the labors of the garden. I like to think of fall-time as the last big "hoorah" of the garden when dahlias are still blooming and the hydrangea pom-pons change from vibrant blues and pinks to faded mauves and browns. The lingering warmth of summer stayed with us all through October, and with November came rain and cold. December felt slightly warmer than November, but towards the end there was freezing rain, snow, and dark days.

All that said, the frigidness of winter has turned my calendula into black sticks, the ground is soggy with moisture, and the scattered ferns and hellebores seems to be the only bit of green in the understory. Big leaf maple and sycamore leaves litter my garden beds, adding much needed organic matter that the soil microbes will feed on all winter and spring. The low light, or what little light there is on a cloudy December day, adds an iridescent touch to the garden--making the greens look deeper and darker than they do in the summer.

And while I yearn for the hot days of summer, I can't help but like this time of year too. Not because there's nothing to do in the garden, but because it's a time of year to look back and reflect on the past season's garden. What went wrong? What went right? What crops were failures? What crops did amazing? What could I have done differently? What do I want to test out next year? All the possibilities of a new gardening season are endless at this time of year. New beginnings. New endings. New year.

A few notes on how to keep your garden thriving through the winter from my personal garden

Last spring was nearly non-existent in the Pacific Northwest! The winter stretched on for ages, it was cold, bleak, and never-ending. And then, like the flip of a switch, on June 21st, the first day of summer, the weather turned miraculously beautiful and warm. I started SO SO SO many seeds last winter and spring and nearly all of the seedlings died, were eaten, frost-bitten, or got spindly because there just wasn't enough sunlight, warmth, and the soil was so super-saturated I couldn't transplant until June. Needless to say, my spring crops were a bust and I nearly gave up on the garden all together because of all the failure. But my partner loves gardening just as much as me--and he kept my spirits up. We direct sowed squash and beans and ended up having a pretty decent harvest. The warm and sunny summer was great for the tomato crop. Dwarf dahlias grown from seed were an amazing success. And I ended up finding enough sunlight in our forest patch for a cutting flower garden (albeit small). So, with the early failures, came lots of joy and success.

My partner and I had the opportunity to take some time off in the Autumn. The weather was absolutely gorgeous in early October and was perfect for a bicycle ride. We rode our bikes from our house on Vashon Island to Port Townsend and the San Juan Islands. It was amazing getting a chance to see this part of Washington from a bicycle (and 7 ferry boats!). When we got back in late October, we harvested the rest of the tomatoes and green beans, pulled a lot of weeds, and planted a cover crop in the vegetable garden. We had some leftover Dutch clover from last year and also invested in rye grass and fava beans. The cover crops were planted not knowing if there was enough time for the seeds to get established. Thankfully there's been enough sunlight and warmish days and the cover crop is growing in nicely.

I think I may just let the cover crop grow tall throughout the spring and direct sow vegetables in June like last year. I'll probably start some seeds too--but just not as many as I tried last year.

Notes from other gardens

I had the pleasure of working in a lot of gardens throughout 2022. With out a doubt, this past year was an amazing success for Dockton Creek Fine Gardening. The support, kind words, and accolades from my customers kept me going even when I was tired, sweaty, and dirty. But all that sweat and dirt paid off! So many gardens just needed a little bit of TLC and tidying up to make them shine.

Some of the key take-aways from other gardens to:

1. It's never too late to get the garden weeded

2. Compost is king

3. If you don't like a plant, take it out

   
   

It really is never too late to get the garden weeded. While I got a lot of phone calls and text messages about garden weed emergencies all summer long, even as late as September I was weeding new garden patches. No shame in getting the garden weeded late in the season. We all have different seasons of life--and sometimes the garden just doesn't take center stage and those garden chores will get finished when they're finished. But I'll tell ya what, a nicely weeded garden is alway a treasure to behold--even late in the season.

Compost is king. Ever look at your garden and think to yourself "what's missing?" Well the answer is probably compost. Compost can come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but for simplicity, I'm going to define it as decomposed organic matter that's dark brown and crumbly. It shouldn't smell like anything other than rich humus and it's great to top dress garden beds with. Compost adds a host of nutrients to the soil and food for soil organisms, but also keeps weeds from getting out of control. Gardens can be top-dressed with compost nearly every year at any time of year. If you'd prefer to be enjoying the flowers in your garden instead of hours on your knees weeding, I suggest adding some compost early!

Any my last take-away from this season of gardening is if you don't like a plant, take it out. I had the pleasure of working with a handful of seasoned gardeners in their beautiful and established gardens this year. And I learned a lot from them! Gardens change immensely as they mature and sometimes a plant just doesn't fit anymore. Sometimes it's too small, too big, too spindly, doesn't get enough light, etc., etc. And sometimes, a gardener has to be ruthless and pull a plant. That doesn't necessarily mean the plant gets unceremoniously chucked in the compost though! Plants can be moved to another garden, divided and moved to several parts of the garden, given to a friend or family member, or even given to your gardeners! But the key here is: don't be afraid to make changes to your garden! Just because a plant has been there a while, doesn't mean it has to keep being there--especially if you don't even like it.

There are so many way to keep a garden thriving through all seasons--and winter is an important time to catch up on neglected chores, weeding, and to plan for next growing season.

Things to look forward to in 2023

I don't typically make New Year's Resolutions, but I do look forward to a new year--and I have a lot to look forward to this year! First thing is Dockton Creek Fine Gardening is getting a new vehicle! You heard that right! Back in September, I purchased a 1995 Daihatsu Hijet Kei Van for the gardening business! It's an adorable Japanese micro van that will have a lot more tool storage and now I'll be able to transport plants and bagged compost for clients. The van is coming all the way from Japan and is supposed to arrive in mid January. I'm very excited about the van!

Plant sales! I love growing plants from seeds and will be growing a limited selection of annual vegetables and flowers for sale. Check back in the spring time to see what's growing!!

Full season garden maintenance! This will be my first FULL year maintaining gardens and I'm just so excited! Last year was the "start-up" year and there was a lot to figure out. I'm excited to be able to provide garden maintenance January-December (or at least the whole garden season!).

More blog posts. Ok, I lied. I guess I do have one New Year's Resolution: write more blog posts and write more consistently. I don't want to promise anything, but I'm going to try my hardest to have two blogs a month this year--maybe even more! I've got lots of ideas, it's just a matter of sitting down long enough to write them all down! You might just have to hold me accountable for this one.

Here's to a New Year and a happy, joyous 2023!