Jeffrey Douglas

(11/22) With frost, snow, and freezing temperatures on the horizon, you may think that your days in the garden are over until spring arrives. If this gets you down, then take heart. There are tons of garden-related things that you can do throughout the winter.

Here are just a few ideas to get you started!

Revitalize Your Tools

If you're a dedicated gardener, then it's likely that your tools take a beating from spring until fall. Winter is the perfect time to clean, repair, and assess your gardening equipment. Does one of those tools need to be replaced?

Also, is there a tool that you've been dying to get your hands on, but keep forgetting to order? Now might be the perfect time to shop. Take advantage of off-season or pre-spring deals.

Decorate and Prepare Pots and Planter Boxes

Take a look at all of your pots and planter boxes where you grow container gardens. Make any necessary repairs, and spend some time making those pots and boxes shine with a new coat of paint or other decoration. It's a crafty pastime that will bring you joy as you anticipate another growing season.

Make a Gardening Journal

Journaling is a popular pastime for many people, but you don't have to restrict your writing to thoughts, feelings, and daily events. Winter is the perfect time to start a gardening journal.

You can include absolutely anything that's pertinent or useful. Make diagrams of the flower and produce beds that you want to plant in the spring. Record research that you perform concerning certain seeds and plants.

Then, when spring arrives, document your efforts in the garden. This may include what you plant, what kind of fertilizer you use, how often you fertilize, and a record of how much water each plant or section of garden receives.

As you write, don't forget to include which plants are thriving and which are not. This provides you with a comprehensive document that tells you what's working in your garden and what isn't so that you can make necessary adjustments.

When winter arrives again, review your journal from the growing season so that you can make notes about what you'll do differently next year.

Make a Windowsill Garden

If you have at least one sunny windowsill in your house, then you have almost everything you need to create a windowsill garden. Succulents, herbs, and microgreens are all examples of plants that you might grow in that sunny spot.

Ideally, that windowsill will receive between five and six hours of sunlight every day. To ensure success, try easy to grow plants like oregano, basil, chives, parsley, and mint. These also have the advantage of making everything you cook even more delicious.

Whatever you plant in your windowsill garden, be sure to turn the pots regularly. This will encourage upright growth. Also, it's best if the windowsill doesn't sit directly above a heating vent.

Play with Air Plants

Have you tried air plants yet? If not, then you're in for a winter gardening surprise. These plants are super easy to care for, and they give your indoor spaces a warm, living, and tropical vibe.

Air plants are suitable even for people who are inclined to say that they have a black thumb. That's because these plants don't need soil. In nature, they usually grow on tree limbs, and there are hundreds of different varieties.

Air plants don't have roots, but they still need water. This is done approximately once a week by submerging the plant in a bowl or sink for half an hour. When the half-hour has elapsed, remove the plant from the water and hold it upside down to let the water drain.

Then, all you have to do is return the plant to its regular home. They don't need direct sunlight, and warm temperatures definitely are appreciated.

Use air plants in terrariums, display them on driftwood or hang them in a glass globe. They bring a bit of summer into your winter home.

Make Winter Container Gardens

Look to greens and freeze-tolerant plants to continue your container gardening habit outdoors. If you live in a region where temperatures get pretty cold, then you won't want to keep the container out in the open.

Instead, move your containers to a sheltered spot under the eaves of the house or onto a sheltered porch. Don't forget to water them regularly, and you just may have outdoor plants to enjoy throughout the winter.

Focus on Indoor Blooms

Do you find yourself missing the blooms that were so abundant from spring until fall? If so, then it's time to indulge yourself with some indoor plants that bloom in the winter.

Some excellent examples of these are cyclamen, white jasmine, paperwhite narcissus, and moth orchid. Make certain that these plants get the right amount of sunlight, water, and fertilizer to ensure success.

Plan Landscape Changes

Take an honest look at your landscape. Is there something about it that you would like to change? Perhaps it's been bothering you for years, but you just haven't taken the time to plan a change.

Winter is the perfect opportunity to get this done. You may not be able to actually make the changes yet, but you can certainly plan them.

Here's the fun part! Start looking at Pinterest and various garden design websites to get some ideas to fire your imagination. Would some of those ideas work in your yard? If so, now is the time to start planning and making lists of all of the materials you'll need.

Will you need the help of a professional designer or landscaper? Winter may be the ideal time to start looking for the right professional. The sooner you secure their services, the sooner your yard can be transformed.

Get Your Seeds Going

It's not too early to start getting your seeds ready for spring. Browse through seed catalogs to find the perfect plants for your garden.

Once you have your seeds, pot them with a good seed-starting mix. It's not actually soil, but it's the ideal combination for encouraging germination and growth.

You can find appropriate pots at the hardware store or use empty egg cartons. Whatever you use, just make sure that there are drainage holes so that your seeds don't get overwatered.

Set your seed pots in a warm spot like on top of the refrigerator or close to a radiator, but be prepared to move them to a bright location once sprouts emerge.

Take Time for Reading and Education

Make yourself a cup of tea and curl up in your favorite chair to read a gardening book. Even better, check the events calendars at local nurseries and gardening stores to find seminars that you can attend.

Winter is the perfect opportunity to up your gardening game in time for the next growing season.

By putting these ideas into practice, you'll be surprised by how quickly the winter flies and how prepared you are for gardening in the spring.

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