Make the most of autumn and winter with these outdoor garden projects for cold weather. Some have time crunches, while others prepare to make winter beauty and spring a success.
If you want more autumn tips, check out our printable Autumn Gardening Checklist here.
Let the winter work for you
If you live in a cold climate like me, each season has its advantages, but you have to catch them as much as you can.
This list provides ideas that creative gardeners can make the most out of their winter gardens.
Some ideas are time sensitive and should be done before the ground freezes or spring thaws begin. Others can add beauty to the season and make it easier to do it before roaming around the Snowlift.
If it’s still weird, get a copy of the autumn garden task list. It breaks things with priorities, from must-sees to good people to things better in spring.
1Prepare vegetable gardens for spring planting
Finish off compost, mulch weeds and top beds and get ready to go as soon as the soil warms up in early spring.
I leave “messs” until autumn and winter, which is essential for wildlife, but plant vegetable preparation is one exception to me.
By preparing everything now (a raised bed and container), you know that that first gentle spell comes in and you’re ready when it’s time to sow an early cold-resistant crop like peas.
2Plant seeds and bulbs
Since you don’t know exactly when the ground will freeze in winter, your best bet is to look at the average first frost date (see Resources) and count the weeks to set work dates.
This has a handy list of flower seeds sown in the fall.
3Growing a winter vegetable garden
Cold frames, polytunnels, straw mulch, and row coverings all help with extensions of the growth period.
If you’re lucky (or even better than me), there is a local plant nursery that sells young and resistant plant plants in the late summer and fall, making it easy to plant your winter vegetable garden.
4Use a greenhouse (if you have it)
Create a small garden oasis in the greenhouse.
The greenhouse has revealed patio furniture and other winter storage spots, which is fine, but there are plenty of options for winter growth if you have a heat source. And why not try the winter vegetables that grew there?
5Try winter seed sowing
When we start seeds outdoors during the cold season for spring germination, we call it “winter seeding.”
There are two basic approaches.
Sowing in a closed container (such as a water jug of milk) that acts as a mini green house. Sowing in an open tray or container protected by wire mesh.
Unlike direct sowing (spraying seeds on autumn soil), winter sowing methods tend to produce better results as seeds are contained and protected. They do not wash away or eat by animals. Furthermore, many types of seeds tend to sprout better in potting mix.
If you’d like to try winter seed sowing in a closed container, we’ll share all the tips in this ebook.
6Adding garden art to sparkle in winter
Create a garden that captures the beauty of winter.
My favorite time in garden art is winter. Nothing is more beautiful than garden art that shines under the winter sun or moonlight.
These are some of my favourites:
Garden art chandelier. It is called a chandelier, but it is not hardwired. I love the appearance of crystals and marbles that glow in the snow in winter.
DIY orb with light. Made of metal wall planters held alongside a cable tie and illuminated with subtle outdoor lights, my seat is on the arch in the garden.
7Welcome wild things
The best thing we can do is provide a rich natural habitat and food source for wildlife to develop a symbiotic relationship between plants and animals. Dead, decayed leaves and twigs, plants and flower seeds are all very important for sustaining life.
If you are permitted to feed wild birds where you live, consider creating a feeding station with food and water.
Get a feeder, a heated water dish, and a remote camera (for us).
My ideal setup has a variety of different feeders to accommodate birds of different sizes, and in addition to a heated water feeder (usually referred to as a “heated bird bath”), fresh water is always available. Also, for this reason, I continue to run the pounds in the pond.
If you like to watch birds, the bird feeder camera and wildlife camera are also very good, especially if there are no windows near the feeding area.
resource
Find frost dates and toughness zones
Plant Hardiness Zone | 
US | 
Canada
These are listed in seed packets and plant tags to guide your choices.
Average Frost Dates | Use this calculator at Almanac.com. Enter your city and state or state and find the first and last frost days and no frost days.
ecoregion |Learn about local native plants, animal species, and environmental conditions and make garden choices that benefit your ecosystem.
Understand Gardener’s Frost and Freezing for more information
E-book
Winter seed sowing
Unique milk jug method for starting seeds outdoors in cold snowy months
Melissa J. Will
About this eBook | Visit our eBook Shop
This ebook is a digital file (PDF format) that you want to save to your device. It’s not a physical product.
PayPal, credit cards, Apple Pay
empress of dIRT
Autumn Garden Checklist
The file provides a handy checklist sorted by priority and best timing.
The download link will be sent to an email.
Joining our free newsletter list is an option at check-out.
~Melissa Empress of the Defiled
