TODAY IS THE eve of Groundhog Day. Regardless if the furry rodent sees his shadow, we still have more than six full weeks of winter to endure. Dare I say that is a good thing?
Many of our plants need the lower temperatures and low light to induce dormancy. They need this to flower, make fruit, bear berries or leaf out.
In fact, it is precisely our frost-laden yet mild winters that make us one of the best spots in the world to garden. And winter is the ideal time to attack many messy garden jobs.
Gardeners have time now, a rare luxury in the horticultural world. Currently, weeds are mostly absent, pruning is a month away, planting chores are a couple of months away, lawn doesn’t need to be mowed and there is little, if any, dead-heading. Furthermore, the mess and disruption of big jobs will be washed away by Mother Nature.
So what job should be done now? Anything that involves dump trucks, tractors, excavators, wheelbarrows, lots of dirt, mulch, rock, stone or concrete. These big jobs rut the lawn, smudge the sidewalk, rip up the garden and are exhausting, which make them ideal jobs for winter.
Do you want to make a pond, build a retaining wall, craft a berm, construct raised beds or a new vegetable garden? Do so in the winter.
Tradesmen are eager to work and product is on hand. Soon the rush of spring will arrive. Working on big projects now guarantees both materials and reliable work schedules. But just as important is the settling that occurs because of the winter rains.
Any time you dig, pile up soil, construct a berm, build a rock wall or lay down pavers, you have loose soil. Doing these tasks now allows for a slow, moisture-soaked process of settling. This is extremely beneficial if you plan to plant in this project, have rock stay in place or the pavers lay flat.
This slow drop into place increases the likelihood of long-term success.
In addition, any disruption of soil brings about a huge increase in weeds, which is not the result a gardener hopes to gain, but unfortunately is almost always an unintended consequence — but not now.
Soil temperatures in winter are such that weed seed germinates very poorly. If you want to improve your land and home with no desire to become a weed farmer, disrupt soil in the dead of winter. But grass seed does germinate now, after the yard is ripped up, gouged in and matted down by the heavy traffic, aerate and over-seed.
Like magic, you will have a better lawn that is naturally watered. How can you beat that? And remember days in the 40s are perfect for working outside: No worries of heat exhaustion or sweaty itching and sunburn.
Some jobs for winter months are:
• Dig, berm, build a water feature or pond.
• Construct pathways, patios, sidewalks or new driveways.
• Build rock walls, retaining walls or place large specimen boulders.
• Erect gazebos, arbors, fences, greenhouses, trellises or play sets.
• Craft large planting berms, level an area or fill in a depression; any tractor work.
• Any cement work, curbing, pads or foundation repairs.
• Removal of any large trees.
• New irrigation system, water lines, drainage work and skirt drains.
• Mulch your entire landscaped area, gardens and flower beds, or re-gravel rock areas, pathways or driveways.
And most of all … stay well!
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Andrew May is a freelance writer and ornamental horticulturist who dreams of having Clallam and Jefferson counties nationally recognized as “Flower Peninsula USA.” Send him questions c/o Peninsula Daily News, P.O. Box 1330, Port Angeles, WA 98362, or email news@peninsuladailynews.com (subject line: Andrew May).
