How To Winterize Your Garden In The Fall

Winterizing your garden can be overwhelming, so I’ve put together a detailed checklist for you.

In this list I’ve included everything that I do. It helps me stay on task and organized so that I get as much done as I can before the snow flies.

When To Winterize Your Gardens

The best time to start winterizing gardens is after the first hard freeze in the fall. This will kill off all of your tender annual plants and vegetables.

Freezing temperatures will also trigger perennial plants to start going dormant, so you know it’s safe to start cutting them back.

Of course, you don’t have to start right after the first freeze. You can take your time and work on these tasks all the way up until the snow flies.

Related Post: 5 Essential Fall Garden Tasks You Should Never Skip

How To Winterize Your Garden (Checklist)

Below is my detailed checklist that includes everything you need to do to get your garden ready for winter. I included steps to take for your perennial, annual, and vegetable beds, as well as tips for your yard and lawn too.

Weeding

Fall is the perfect time to weed your gardens. Once the plants die back, it’s easier to see the weeds that have been hiding all summer.

Water the soil a few hours beforehand to soften up the soil and make pulling the weeds much easier.

Mulching

If you have any tender perennials that will need extra protection during the winter, you can use mulch as a cover. Leaves, pine needles, and other organic materials are the best.

You can cover the whole bed with leaves if you have enough, or just bury the most tender plants.

Watering

It may seem silly to worry about watering plants while winterizing your gardens. But keeping them well hydrated will ensure they survive the cold weather, especially if you had a summer drought.

Amending The Soil

Fall is the best time to amend your garden beds. Compost is great for any soil type, and a natural way to add more nutrients.

But before you add any amendments, be sure to test your soil first so you know exactly what it needs. It’s easy to do with a home test kit.

Deadhead Self-seeders

Next, I focus on cutting back perennials that are aggressive self-sowers (black-eyed Susan and other rudbeckias, liatris, butterfly weed…etc). These plants can sometimes become weeds if you leave the seed pods in the garden over winter.

Cutting them back before winter saves me hours of weeding every summer. Of course if you want those volunteers in your garden, then you can take this item off your checklist.

Winterize Your Perennial Garden

The last thing I do to winterize my garden is to work on cutting down the rest of the perennials, as I have time.

However, I don’t cut everything down because I like to leave some plants for winter interest and food for the birds.

Dig Up Tender Bulbs

I grow tropical bulbs (dahlias, cannas, elephant ears, gladiolas… etc) in my flower beds, so the first thing I do after freezing temperatures have killed off the plants is cut them down. Then I dig up the bulbs and store them for winter.

Winterize Your Annual Garden

Once a hard freeze has killed everything in my annual beds, I pull all of the plants out by the roots and toss them into the compost bin.

Some years I’m too busy to pull them all, so I’ll clean up the rest of my garden in the spring. Don’t worry, there’s no harm in leaving them out there through the winter.

Remove Dead Vegetable Plants

To prevent diseases and pests from overwintering on plant material, it’s important to clear our your vegetable garden.

After the first hard freeze has killed off your garden, be sure to remove all of the dead vegetable plants as your top priority.

Related Post: How To Prepare Your Vegetable Garden For Winter

Destroy Diseased Plant Material

Don’t put any diseased or infested plants into your compost bin. Throw them into the garbage or burn them to destroy the pathogens.

This is a super important step to take while winterizing your garden, and will help to prevent recurring disease and bug outbreaks.

Winterize Tender Garden Plants

You can bring many types of tropical plants, succulents, and tender perennials indoors for the winter. Just be sure to clean and debug them first.

To make it easy, you can keep cold hardy plants in an unheated garage or shed to give them extra protection through the winter.

Related Post: How To Overwinter Plants: The Complete Guide

Rake Leaves Off The Lawn

Allowing leaves to sit on the lawn all winter could create dead patches. So it’s important to rake them up before it snows.

Leaves are great to use as natural mulch for your vegetable garden, around your perennials, or in your compost bin.

You can also mulch them into the grass using your lawn mower if you don’t want to rake, which adds wonderful nutrients to the soil.

Cut The Grass Short

In the fall as the lawn starts to go dormant, lower your mower blade to give your grass a nice short cut.

Consider bagging the clippings to throw into your compost bin or till them into your vegetable garden (as long as the grass hasn’t gone to seed and you don’t chemically treat it). Fall is also a great time for aerating and dethatching. Get more lawn mowing tips here.

Winterize Your Garden Furniture

Storing it in a garage, shed, attic, or basement will help it last longer. However, if you don’t have the space, then consider buying protective covers for them.

If any of your outdoor furniture has decorative tile on it, then I highly recommend finding a place for it inside rather than just covering it. Tiles can pop or break in extremely cold climates ruining the piece (not that I would know that from experience).

Empty & Protect Water Features

It’s important to empty small water features, like bird baths and fountains, and protect them over the winter.

You can get a fountain cover or a birdbath cover to protect them outside, or you can move them indoors if you have the room.

Drain Irrigation Systems

If you have any type of garden or yard irrigation system, like underground sprinklers or drip irrigation, then make sure to turn them off and blow them out using an air compressor before freezing temps arrive.

You should also drain your garden hoses and store them in your garage, shed, or other protected location for the winter.

Winterize Garden Ponds & Waterfalls

In warmer climates, you may be able to leave your pond pump running all winter to keep the water from freezing over.

But in extreme climates like mine here in MN, you need to turn off the pump and waterfall to prevent damage.

You should also use a pond heater if you have plants or fish, to prevent the water from completely freezing over. Learn exactly how to winterize your pond here.

Empty & Store Your Rain Barrel

If you leave water in your rain barrel through the winter in a cold climate like mine, it would most certainly be damaged or destroyed.

So make sure to winterize your rain barrel, and store it somewhere safe. I turn mine upside down and put it behind our porch where it’s protected from the sun.

More Seasonal Gardening Tips

• 5 Tips to Simplify Fall Garden Cleanup
• How To Protect Plants From Frost Damage
• How To Plant Spring Bulbs In The Fall

Share your tips for getting your garden ready for winter in the comments section below!