December Gardening Chores In Richmond

Posted on 24/02/2015

Outdoor Garden Chores for December

Most gardeners in Richmond are too busy planning and shopping during the winter months to spare any time for gardening but that doesn’t mean that you can let your garden sit around and only get back to it at spring. For some of you in the warmer zones, December might be the time to start another growing season for plants that cannot tolerate the summer sun. But for most others, it is the time to take stock of your seeds and inspect leaves for egg masses, pests and other signs of trouble. Here is a list of garden maintenance chores that need to be covered in the winter months. Take your pick according to the weather in your region and the kind of garden you grow.

• If you have planted winter plants, make sure you give them enough water and sunlight. This also goes for house plants in the TW10 region or the ones that you have brought indoors for overwintering.

• Insects from your garden might hitch a ride on the plants you bring indoors and will grow and spread rapidly in the interiors with the heating on. So make sure carefully inspect the plants that you bring in.

• If you still have some fruits or vegetables out in the garden, pluck them off the plant and use it for meals. The same goes for any produce that you have stored in the pantry in Richmond but which are too ripe to last through winter.

• Remember to clean out your bird house and bird feed and renew the seed supply. The birds would also appreciate if you could put a heater in the bird bath.

• Check the roots, bulbs, and underground parts for signs of desiccation, rot or infestation.

• Rake the fall leaves, run them over with the mower and put the shredded leaves over the beds to insulate your winter plants from the frost in the TW9 district.

• You might also want to spray your broadleaf evergreens with anti-desiccants to prevent dehydration.

• If you have some new seedlings from the nursery, don’t put them outside. Keep them indoors but in a place where they can receive partial sunlight for a few hours. Make sure keep them hydrated and if you want to leave them out for the night, make sure you cover them with clay pots.

• Check your trees and woody plants for signs of damage by deer, rabbits etc.

• Newspapers and rags come in very handy to protect tender plants from temperature fluctuations.

• Prepare your planting beds with compost and manure before the ground freezes and let the snow work it in the soil by the time spring arrives.

• Cut back the summer plants as soon as their foliage darkens and run them in the ground so that they can decompose over winter and increase the soil’s biomass.

• Do a round of lawn mowing to prepare the grass for new growth.

• Young citrus trees and small fruits can be damaged by frost, so make sure you protect them by draping row covers.

• Once or twice during the season, try to arrange for leaf clearance in your garden and pipes in Richmond before the snow gets to them.

• Wet soil will increase the chances for weed to grow, but the soft soil will also make them easier to pull. So this would be a good time to do some weed control.

• Take a saw and prune the branches that have weakened but have not yet fallen off. Winter winds can be strong so you need to take precautions to prevent accidents and broken windows.