When the first hard freeze rolls through, most of us want to pull the hose inside, shut the garage door and forget about the garden until April. In a place like Wyoming, where winter can show up in September and hang around until May, that's tempting. But an hour or two of work now pays you back many times over next spring. Healthier soil, fewer pests, tools that don't rust and a head start on planting all come from what you do in late October and November.
Here's the checklist we use for putting a cold-climate garden to bed.
1. Pull the spent annuals and diseased plants
Tomatoes, squash, beans and annual flowers are done once frost hits. Pull them out, roots and all. Healthy plant material can go straight into the compost. Anything that had blight, powdery mildew or bugs should go in the trash, not the pile. Most home compost doesn't get hot enough to kill disease, and you don't want to spread it back over your beds next year.
Leave a few things standing on purpose. Seed heads on coneflowers, sunflowers and ornamental grasses feed birds through winter and look great with a dusting of snow.
2. Start (or feed) your compost
Fall is the best time of year to compost, because you suddenly have a huge supply of "browns": dry leaves, dead stems and straw. Mix them with the last of your kitchen scraps and garden "greens" at roughly three parts brown to one part green.
In cold climates, a tumbler composter is a real advantage. It holds heat better than an open pile, keeps critters out, and you can give it a spin on a sunny winter afternoon to keep things moving. Even if it freezes solid in January, it picks right back up in spring and you'll have finished compost for planting season. Browse our composters for tumblers and worm bins that can work in a garage.
Tip: Shred or mow over your leaves before adding them. Whole leaves mat down and can take two years to break down; shredded leaves can be ready by late spring.
3. Feed and cover your raised beds
Raised beds warm up fast in spring, but they also lose nutrients faster than in-ground gardens. Once the beds are cleared:
- Spread 1–2 inches of compost or aged manure on top.
- Add a layer of shredded leaves or straw as mulch.
- Leave it. Worms and freeze-thaw cycles will work it in for you.
This "lasagna" approach means no tilling in spring, and the soil is loose and ready to plant the moment it thaws. If you've been thinking about adding a bed, fall is a smart time to set it up and fill it, so it's settled and ready by planting time. Our raised garden beds come in galvanized metal, wood and more, in sizes for balconies up to big backyard plots.
4. Protect perennials, roses and young shrubs
Wind and freeze-thaw swings do more damage than the cold itself in high-plains winters.
- Water deeply before the ground freezes. Evergreens and new plantings especially need moisture going into winter. On a mild, dry day in December or January, a winter watering can save them.
- Mulch after the ground freezes, not before, so mice don't move in. Four to six inches of straw or shredded leaves around perennials and roses helps keep the soil frozen evenly.
- Wrap or screen young trees and shrubs on the windward side with burlap.
5. Keep growing in a greenhouse or hoop house
If you aren't ready to quit, a small greenhouse or cold frame can stretch your season by weeks on both ends. Hardy greens like spinach, kale and mâche will keep producing well into fall, and some overwinter and take off again in March. In spring, the same greenhouse gives seedlings a protected place to harden off before going in the ground. Take a look at our greenhouses, from walk-in models to compact mini greenhouses for a patio.
6. Clean, sharpen and store your tools
Tools left in a damp shed all winter come out rusty and dull. Take twenty minutes to:
- Knock off dirt and scrub blades with a wire brush.
- Sharpen pruners, hoes and shovels with a file.
- Wipe metal with a light coat of oil.
- Rub linseed oil into wooden handles.
- Drain hoses completely and coil them indoors or on a reel, so they don't split when they freeze.
Shut off and drain outdoor spigots too, or cover them with an insulated faucet cover. If your kit needs updating, our gardening tools include hand tool sets, kneelers and carts that make spring work easier on the knees and back.
7. Bring in the patio and decor pieces
Cushions, umbrellas, fabric shades and small fountains last much longer stored dry. Close and cover umbrellas, drain fountains and bird baths that can crack in a freeze, and move ceramic pots into the garage. Metal and stone statues can usually stay out.
8. Plan next year while you remember this one
The best time to plan next year's garden is right now, while you remember what worked and what didn't. Jot down:
- Which varieties did well and which struggled
- Where things were planted (rotate crops so the same family isn't in the same bed two years in a row)
- What you ran out of room for
- What you want to try next year
Then pour something warm, open the seed catalogs and start dreaming about spring.
Garden Zen Zone is a small garden shop based in Sheridan, Wyoming. Every order ships free. Questions? Call us at (833) 579-7783 or email gardenzenzone@gmail.com.
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