Gardening Thread- Show me your gardens!

Load up on pectin now, while off season. It already almost tripled in price, compared to the last year.
Get No-sugar pectin, and then you can make healthier jams. Normally jams are 1:1 ratio berries:sugar.
Our fig jams are 8:1, Blackberry and strawberry jams are 8:3, sometimes 8:4, depending on how sweet a particular batch of berries is.

 

I was watching my neighbor protect the mint, herbs plants from the winter weather. He was putting wooden stakes in the ground then putting plastic around the stakes. He was using staples to hold the plastic in place. There's no center support. I guessing snow will collapse the plastic.

What is the best way to protect plants from the winter cold, snow?

 

There is no need to bring mint in or protect it, it will grow back in the spring. Bring the herbs you want to use freshly inside in a pot. Herbs are easily kept indoors in winter months.

Yesterday the wife, kids and I cut down all the hibiscus in the back yard. I also raked all the thatch up from the lawn. We have been flirting with freezing temps at night for a few of the last nights so it’s time to get these chores done.

 

Mulch is best. The plant will become dormant in cold weather. The idea behind mulch is to let the ground freeze around the roots and to keep it frozen throughout the winter. The freeze/thaw cycle is what can do damage to the plant more than anything else. But much depends on the specific plant and how hardy it is. I do not mulch any of my plants. I have tried to pick plants that are hardy enough so I do not have to. Having said that, in the past I have had some roses that really benefited from being pruned then completely covering the plants in mulch.

 

Bring the herbs in is too much work. It may not survive.

What do you think about these?

 

Are you trying to stop the ground from freezing around the plant?

 

Some of the herbs didn't do well last winter. Part of the plant had to be pruned to remove the dead stuff.

 

That is to be expected. It’s called dieback.

 

It my neighbor with the herbs. I think, frost damage, plus the snow crushing the plants.

 

Is there anything that can be done, without bringing them in?

 

Mulch up some leaves or, just used leaves you have raked, find an oversized plant pot, stick the leaves inside, turn it upside down over the top of the plant and put a rock on it that is heavy enough to hold it down but not too heavy that it collapses it. When it snows, shovel some snow around it to help hold it in place. Call it a day.

 

I told him today about using a 5 gallon bucket. Then using a rock or something to hold it in place.

He mentioned about it had to be a clear bucket. Something about the sun rays, or UV rays.

 

Makes no sense to me. If you surround the plant with leaves it will not receive any light of any kind regardless if the bucket is transparent or not. Besides, in the winter time the plant is dormant. No photosynthesis is taking place so it does not matter if light strikes it or not. Unless you live in a climate where the ground thaws enough to allow growth and if that is the case then why would you be mulching the plant in the first place?

 

It's the 1st year trying to protect the plants for the elements. Everything he's trying is a experiment.

Can mold be an issue by covering them?

 

Not likely but if it is a concern then use dry leaves for the mulch. But if you get the mulch off in the spring after the last hard freeze then you should be fine.

 

I'll soon find out what he's going to do for the plants. I think he's going to do a little research.

 

Any tips to prep my garden for spring? Ideally to kill off the weeds that grew in the last month or so?

 

Cover it with heavy black plastic. Put rocks or something on it to keep it from blowing away. Leave it there until right before you plant.

 

What type of garden? Vegetable? Are you planning on turning the soil in the spring?

 

yes to vegetable. don't really have a means to turn other than with standard tools.