By: Lauren McRae

Winterizing your garden is an important process to do to make sure your garden is fresh and ready to plant on the first day of Spring. It helps protect your nutrient-rich soil and gets you ready for a new year of gardening! 

Here are some tips to get your garden ready for winter:

1. Weed Your Garden: All dead materials should be removed from your garden to prevent disease and insect infestation. Insects will lay eggs in dead plants, and they will survive through the winter and hatch in the spring.
2. Create a Protective Layer: One of the best methods to cover your garden is with an organic layer. Like placing a tarp or garden fabric over bushes or foliage during a frost, it will insulate your soil and root veggies to keep them healthy and safe. The three varieties to choose from are: compost, mulch, and leaf.
3. Plant Your Bulbs: This is important to do before the ground freezes. You’ll have too much trouble planting bulbs if the ground is too hard.
4. Give Your Garden One Last Drink: Before you turn off the water for winter, water your new trees, shrubs and perennials. Try to do this about a week or two before the ground freezes.
5. General Repairs and Storage: Proper storage during the winter season to keep everything functional and in good condition. If you live in areas where it gets cold or has freezing temperatures, then you need to hang hoses and sprinklers somewhere to dry. As they hang, they will naturally drip out all the water. You don’t want to have water in your irrigation equipment when it freezes because it can damage equipment.

For more information about gardening and plants, visit our partner, Chicago Botanic Garden,