Scratching the Gardening Itch Over Winter

Here we are, in the dreaded gardening off-season! Plants have died back/become dormant, leaves have been raked, and ice and snow have started to cover our gardens. For those of us who get antsy when there isn’t anything to do in the garden, this can be a difficult time. But don’t fret! Even if you can’t get your hands dirty in your yard, there are plenty of other things you can do to keep yourself busy over the winter. 

Catalogues

A guilty pleasure of many gardeners in the winter is reading seed and plant catalogs. Flipping through the pages and pages of potential plants to add next season can be dangerous for your wallet, but it is a great way to keep your imagination alive and feel a connection to your garden. Most garden centers have catalogues available - keep an eye out for catalogues with New England-sourced seeds and native plants. Make sure not to go overboard, and only order plants you are sure you have space for and the capacity to care for! 

Starting Your Own Seeds

Replace getting dirty in your yard by getting dirty inside! With some dirt, a heat pad, start trays/other containers, and some grow lights you can start growing plants for next season’s flower or veggie garden from seed. This process can be a satisfying way to know that you are contributing to your garden throughout the winter, as well as feel more connected to your plants than you would be if you bought them from a store. Seed starting can be finicky, requiring much trial and error, but it can be a deeply rewarding process.

Use this Planting Calendar from the Farmer’s Almanac to know when to start each seed depending on your location.

Planning For Next Year

A great habit to get into is to start journaling or making lists about what worked and didn’t work in your garden throughout the season. Scroll through any photos of your garden you took and think about what you might want to change for next year, whether that be moving plants around, changing your planting or watering schedule, plants you might want to add, or even a complete redesign. Winter is a great time to reach out to us at Green Urb Gardens with any design ideas to get the ball rolling on a garden makeover for next season! Our Lead Horticulturist Karen Dooley is an extremely talented garden designer and can bring your wildest dreams for your garden to life. Karen is passionate about supporting local pollinators and uses a mix of native and non-native plant species to further our mission to create ecologically-sustainable landscapes. 

Check out some of Karen’s designs!

Tool Maintenance

Cleaning, oiling, removing rust, and sharpening tools - things you might put off all season might become a welcome task during the winter! Give your tools some needed TLC for them to be in tip top shape when spring comes. Use a wired brush or steel wool to get off caked on mud, then remove any spots of rust by using oil, a vinegar soak, a paste of baking soda and water, or another rust removal method. If needed, take apart your pruning tools to clean them thoroughly, then sharpen them with a sharpening stone. After all maintenance has been finished, make sure to cover all wood and metal surfaces with oil to deter rust and splintering.

Visit Conservancies and Arboretums

Just because it’s winter doesn't mean you can’t be surrounded by lush greenery! Conservancies like The Lyman Estate greenhouse in Waltham, MA, the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center in Providence, RI, and the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill in Boylston, MA contain beautiful indoor collections.

The beautiful greenery, flowers, and scent of the plants and soil are so revitalizing in the wintertime!

Read and Learn

A great thing to do during winter is grow your knowledge on all things garden! Read gardening books and memoirs, take classes, and watch YouTube videos on what you’re interested in. Master Gardener training runs through the winter, as do many classes through places like the Native Plant Trust. There is a wealth of information online that can be a great way to pass the time and prepare you to be better informed for next season. These don’t have to just be instructional how-tos - listen to people’s stories about their relationship to our ecosystem and their gardens to feel inspired and open your mind to what is possible! 

Growing houseplants and trying hydroponic growing can be other ways to keep you connected to your garden throughout the off-season. But don’t forget to enjoy your much-deserved break as well! Next season will be here before you know it.