Ways to Utilize Elevated Plant Beds for Winter Gardening - 5 Strategies to Maintain Your Garden Flourishing Through Colder Seasons
Raised garden beds offer a versatile space for cultivating a variety of plants throughout the year, and the transition from summer to fall is no exception. Nastya Vasylchyshyna, a botany expert at Plantum, and Lindsay Chastain, an experienced homesteader and founder at The Waddle and Cluck, share their insights on preparing raised beds for fall planting.
Firstly, fall is the optimal time to plant spring bulbs such as hyacinths, tulips, daffodils, crocuses, and muscari. These bulbs require a cold rest period to establish roots and bloom fully in spring. To ensure the bulbs are planted deep enough, a bulb planter can help.
Creating an in-situ compost pile in a raised garden bed is another beneficial practice. This process will result in a rich, organic compost by spring, ready for planting. To speed up the composting process, composting worms can be introduced.
Raised beds offer higher-quality and better-draining soil compared to regular garden plots, making them ideal for cool-weather crops like radishes and kale. To protect these crops from the cooler temperatures, row covers or cold frames can be used.
Many raised bed garden ideas are focused on spring and summer, but they can be easily adapted for fall. For instance, a cut flower patch can be transformed into a stunning display of fall blooms such as pansies, violas, marigolds, and snapdragons. Winter pansies, in particular, can infuse colour into raised garden beds right through winter and into early-spring.
Violas are cool-weather plants and reliable fall bloomers. Allowing seedheads to remain in the raised garden bed provides architectural plant interest and, later, can be collected for dried floral arrangements. Seedheads are also a valuable resource for feeding birds in winter. Drying out seedheads entirely and turning brown will provide a source to collect seeds for planting in spring.
Seedlings of cool-weather crops can be planted in raised beds in the fall. Cool-weather crops can continue to grow throughout the winter, providing a source of fresh produce even in the colder months. It's important to note that certain shrubs and perennials are more suitable for fall planting, while frost-sensitive flowers like hibiscus and hydrangea are best planted in spring.
Transitioning raised beds from summer to fall should be high on the fall gardening checklist. Proper timing and soil preparation techniques like green manuring with plants such as phacelia, mustard, buckwheat, and lupines that improve soil quality during autumn are crucial.
Finally, it's essential to avoid bulb planting mistakes to ensure the bulbs bloom. Allowing seedheads to remain in the raised garden bed over winter can provide a source of architectural plant interest, and later, seedheads can be collected for dried floral arrangements. A tarp can be used to cover the raised garden bed to stop compost freezing in winter.
In conclusion, with the right planning and preparation, raised garden beds can offer a bountiful harvest throughout the year, from spring bulbs to cool-weather crops. By following the expert advice and tips provided, you can transform your raised beds into a vibrant and productive fall garden.
