Long story short the previous homeowners had a large established garden in the back. Sweet potatoes, pumpkins, tomatos and lots more. By the time we closed and addressed some more pressing things 4 months had gone by and it totally overgrown now with weeds. I’ve decided to clear it totally out and start from scratch. Is there anything I should be doing over the winter to get it ready to plant in the spring? I’m a complete novice and have never gardened before. Any advice is appreciated!
clear the weeds, add compost, and cover with mulch or a tarp to prep the soil. in spring, you’ll be good to go
Reese said:
clear the weeds, add compost, and cover with mulch or a tarp to prep the soil. in spring, you’ll be good to go
Better mulch than a tarp
Van said:
It one of the beds is an asparagus bed I would look to keep it.
There was asparagus per my sister in law. I haven’t made my way over to that side yet. It’s a pretty distinct looking plant so I’ll avoid pulling. She says it comes back every year.
Sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and tomatoes are all annual plants, it’s normal for them to die off in the fall and need to be replanted the next spring. See if you can identify the “weeds” that are growing, the previous owners may have sown a winter cover crop. Either way, whatever has popped up since summer won’t be deeply rooted and should be easy to remove once you’ve decided what you want to do. You don’t need to do anything drastic like tarps or “hort oils”. If you’re somewhere that has hard winters, this is just the normal state of a winter vegetable garden. In milder climates, you can grow brassicas and other cool weather crops during the winter.
Bare soil will always grow something, this is one of the inescapable laws of gardening. It’s the horticultural variant of “Nature abhors a vacuum.” If you really can’t stand the look of the garden right now, put down a layer of cardboard to flatten out the weeds and then pile mulch on top. That will keep weeds at bay until spring, and preserve the soil health.
In the meantime, do some research. Find out what USDA zone you live in. Learn how to identify every plant you can find, including all the weeds. Find examples of different kinds of gardens and think about what you want and what you have the resources to accomplish. Study the native plants in your area and local environments to get a feel for what the natural state of your garden would be, and what will work with that vs. what’s going to be an uphill battle. For example, my house is built on what was farmland during the 19th c. in an area that tends generally towards woodland with vernal pools and bogs. What works for me is going to be completely different from what works for someone who lives in an arid semi-desert climate.
Some general things to consider: How much time do you have to commit to gardening? Do you enjoy physical exercise? Do you have any problems with kneeling, lifting heavy things, etc.? Seasonal allergies that mean you aren’t going to be able to spend all your free time outside in the spring?
Vegetable gardens are very rewarding, and you’ll see rapid growth and changes within a single season, but they are also very labor intensive as gardens go. You have a pretty tight seasonal schedule to stick to if you want good results, and there will always be something that needs to be done. Seasonal replanting is unavoidable and you’ll need to always be managing pests, planning crop rotations, etc.
On the opposite end of the scale, if you want something lower maintenance but more of a long term project, you could look at planting an ornamental perennial garden. This will take years to get established, but you can work on it at a slower pace, the planting calendar for it is much more relaxed, and once a perennial bed is mature it really only needs light pruning and occasional weeding. You have to do a lot more long-term thinking and have patience though, not expect quick results. There’s a lot of checking mature plant sizes and planning and researching plants, because instead of a commitment for a season, you’re making long term commitments to plants that can potentially outlive you. Not that you can’t change perennials out whenever you want, but expect them to need 3-5 years to start showing their full potential. If you constantly toss things after a year because you decide you don’t like them, you’ll never get anywhere with a perennial garden.
There’s a whole range of options in between these two extremes, plus various unconventional approaches like permaculture “food forests” and such, so research is really your friend.
@Jess
Thanks for the lengthy reply! Looks like I have my research cut out for me!
dump a bunch of mulch on top. in spring mix it in the soil with a big pitchfork. Keep it ‘fluffy’ as you can for seedlings. Enjoy!
@Axel
yes. leaf mulch. i like grass clippings for mulch too
@Axel
Regarding mulch, we had 11 pines trees cut down in our front yard and the stumps ground. Would you still not recommend spreading it in the garden due to the nitrogen absorption? Before I got to your comment I was about to go gung ho hauling all that to the back yard. The mulch will probably still be there next year. Would then be ok to put it in the garden?
Buy and read a book on gardening basics over the winter
If you’re a complete novice, I’d say don’t do anything at all right now. It’s pretty much winter, and your garden is dormant. Go buy a big book about garden basics, learn as much as you can by reading, then when spring comes, you’ll be a lot more ready. You’ll also know your neighbours by spring, I’m guessing you’ll find someone nearby who’s willing to help you figure it all out. Gardeners love discussing gardening!
I only clear because it looks ugly. Leaving stuff on soil is better than stripping it bare because of erosion
You can do a lot of things. Nothing. Add fall leaves on top, shredded is a good one. Some people even plant cover crops.
Personally, I would start by looking up your county’s cooperative extension, master gardeners program. They will have a hotline (phone and email) and the university trained volunteers can help you decide the best course of action. Usually they offer seminars and workshops on gardening and landscaping. Here in Pennsylvania (where I am a MG) we have our “Spring into Gardening” series, in the spring we have plant sakes and in the fall it’s bulbs. Good luck with your new home!
I’d treat with hort oils and cover with a black tarp to kill off any weeds etc. when spring rolls around amend and till