Winter Garden Care Tips to Protect Outdoor Plants From Snow

Winter garden care to protect outdoor plants from snow is important, especially in colder climates. You’ll need to take action to protect vegetables, herbs, berries, perennials and woody shrubs from frost and snow.

Start by ensuring that each plant is suited to the location. Healthy plants are better able to cope with adverse conditions.

Covering Your Plants

If you have any tropical or annual plants in containers that are particularly susceptible to frost and freezing damage, it might be a good idea to bring them inside during the day or overnight. You can also cover them with sheeting, blankets, towels, tarps, frost cloth or row cover materials (such as Harvest Guard) that help to trap radiant heat and keep the air above freezing. Be sure to lift any covering the next morning to allow sunlight in and release moisture. It is best to use a frame of some kind, such as patio furniture or PVC pipes, saw horses or wire loops to drape the covering so that it doesn’t crush or damage the plants under it.

If your garden is mainly composed of cold hardy perennial herbs and vegetables like kale, swiss chard, beets and carrots, you may not need to worry about protecting them. However, if you’re in a hardiness zone where frost is common and shortens the growing season, consider winter protection to extend your harvest into December and beyond.

Level one frost protection is easy and inexpensive — you can simply cover your garden beds with sheeting or old blankets. These simple covers help to trap warmth from the soil and prevent any water on the plants from coming into direct contact with cold air. It is also a good idea to tuck the fabric around the plants and in between rows to prevent air pockets from developing.

The next level of frost protection is to stretch a length of garden fleece or frost cloth over the entire bed or rows of gardens. Frost cloth is lightweight and easy to store, so you can use it again and again over the course of the winter. This level of coverage is ideal if you have lots of beds in which to protect the plants and you’d like to extend your growing season as far into the winter as possible.

If you are concerned about a sudden drop in temperature that could damage newly planted plants and vegetables, consider using a greenhouse to cover your garden. This is especially important if you are growing crops such as tomatoes that require warm temperatures to thrive.

Watering

The most important garden care tip for winter is to water your plants properly. It may seem counterintuitive, but wet soil helps your plants weather freezing temperatures for several reasons. First, it absorbs heat and releases it slowly at night to help warm the roots of your plants. Second, it replaces air spaces in the soil that don’t hold heat very well. And third, it keeps the soil and plant tissue warmer than the surrounding air, which is a major source of stress for winter plants.

The best time to water is in the morning before a freeze. The ground and soil will be warmest then, allowing the roots to take up moisture more quickly. It’s also better to water deep, rather than saturating the top layer of soil. This helps reduce the amount of water that can potentially freeze and harm the plant in below-freezing conditions. Watering in advance of a cold front will help your plants, particularly potted and annual plants, make it through the hard freeze.

For perennial flowers and shrubs that can’t be covered or moved indoors, a layer of mulch can protect them from heavy snow and ice. In addition, mulch will keep the soil warm and prevent frost heaving. If you have plants that need extra protection, such as blackberry canes or blueberry bushes, mound the soil around them to prevent hard frosts from heaving them out of the ground.

If you’re growing tender annuals, like chives, basil or parsley, in Zone 5 or colder, cover them on cold nights and bring them inside to extend their blooming season. Covering the plants will protect them from a light frost, which isn’t likely to harm them.

If you’re planting a hardy vegetable crop, like mache, sorrel, kale or Asian greens like mizuna and tatsoi, expose them to outdoor temperatures gradually. The shock of being exposed to frigid temperatures all at once can kill them. Instead, introduce the new vegetables to the outside gradually by taking them out for an hour or two a day and then bringing them back inside. Do this for a week before you plan on transplanting them into the ground.

Fertilizing

Some plants require a little extra care in order to get through the winter. Tender vegetables like tomatoes and peppers are at risk of frost damage if not properly covered, but poly tunnels, cold frames and frost cloth help to protect these crops. Covering the beds with a thick layer of mulch (straw, shredded leaves, hay) also helps to keep the soil insulated and provides a buffer against snow.

Tender perennials and annual flowers aren’t as fragile but should still be brought inside to avoid being damaged by harsh weather. Likewise, any potted plants that can’t be moved indoors should be wrapped in insulating material such as burlap or old blankets and then topped with a 6-inch layer of mulch. This will help to protect the roots and prevent freezing of the water in them.

Temperature fluctuations can harm plants by causing them to break dormancy too early, and this can leave them vulnerable to frost. If you plant any bulbs in the fall, such as daffodils and tulips, make sure to cover them with a 6-inch layer of mulch or chopped leaves.

In warmer climates, it’s often recommended to fertilize trees and shrubs in late fall before they go dormant. However, doing this too early can encourage tender new growth that isn’t adapted to the cold temperatures and may be killed by winter storms or frost.

Fertilizing before winter with slow release fertilizers is more appropriate for these regions, as it gives the plants time to absorb the nutrients before they go dormant. Incorporating organic matter like compost and well-rotted manure into the garden beds is also a good idea, as it enriches the soil with organic materials, insulates the ground, and releases nutrients slowly over time. This is especially important for plants that require extra nutrients to survive harsh winter weather conditions.

Pruning

Winter gardeners are often tempted to get out the shears and clip away dead stems, but this is one task that should be left until spring. Prying too soon interrupts the natural cycle of dormancy and exposes tender new growth to harsh winter weather. Also, if you are pruning a tree or shrub that isn’t yet dormant, those fresh cuts can stimulate new growth that would be killed by cold temperatures and snow.

Unless a plant is clearly diseased or unsightly, it’s best to let it be. Many ornamental grasses look lovely with a coating of snow, and their seed heads provide valuable winter food for birds. They are also good for cutting back in spring to control their size.

A layer of mulch is another essential winter garden care tip. In addition to protecting the roots of your plants from frost, it keeps the soil warm and provides a nutrient boost. A 6-inch layer of organic matter such as leaves, compost or hay helps to insulate the root zone and keep soil temperature stable. If you have a large area to cover, consider using a poly tunnel or frost cloth to protect your vegetables from snow and wind.

Sowing a cover crop of rye or clover in the fall is a great way to protect and improve your garden soil as it decomposes throughout the winter. These crops prevent soil erosion, suppress weeds and provide nutrients for next year’s growing season.

When it comes to planting, October is an excellent time to plant flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. This will give them a chance to get established before winter and have time to grow tall before they begin blooming.

If you have a small garden to plant, try starting seeds indoors for your cool-season crops such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale and peas. This will give them a head start on the long, cold winter days and increase how much you’ll be able to harvest when warmer weather finally arrives.