How to protect your winter garden

Earlier this month I posted a query on my Chester County Roots Facebook page, asking, “What topics are you most interested in reading about at this time of year?” One of the replies I received was from Howard Frysinger, a vegetable gardener who lives in Wallace Township. His response: “Cover crops. What to plant after the first frost. Or, if too late, what to do with the beds.” I love that idea and question, for two reasons. First, what we do when nothing is actively growing in our gardens is important for soil health. Second, cover-cropping and preparing beds for the winter provides a reason to be out in the garden between the end of the harvest and spring planting.

As anyone who’s had to deal with clay soil knows, dirt is heavy and hard to work with until it’s been amended with lots of organic material. But that heaviness disguises the fact that soil is actually fragile. When left vacant and uncovered, it’s particularly susceptible – to erosion and loss of nutrients. Here’s where Howard’s question comes in, because covering the soil provides an important protection.

There are several ways to protect the soil. The options range from super simple to more labor intensive, but the benefits increase along with the effort.

First, and perhaps easiest, is to simply put down a tarp or other plastic, anchoring it so that it doesn’t blow off.

Second, cover planting beds with paper “mulch,” e.g., the rolls of black paper designed for use as weed barriers. You could also use newspaper, though it takes a lot of work to anchor all of those individual sections. This would be better in a small garden or raised bed. If the paper has decomposed enough by spring, you can simply work it into the soil before planting,

Third, put down a thick layer of mulch, such as your own fall leaves, or straw. Leaves have the advantage of being small enough to be easily worked into the soil in the spring. With straw, you’ll probably want/need to rake it off before planting. You can compost and put it back into the garden later in the season.

Fourth, plant a cover crop. These are plants that continue to grow into the cold weather. In the spring, when they are tilled in or otherwise incorporated into the soil, they provide organic matter and nutrients, particularly nitrogen. Further, as Organic Gardening magazine (July/August 2020) points out, cover crops convert solar energy into carbohydrates that sustain soil life.

Cover crops, a.k.a. “green manures,” include legumes such as vetch, clover, beans and peas; grasses such as annual ryegrass, oats, rapeseed, winter wheat and winter rye; and buckwheat. At this time of year, the best options for cover crops are winter wheat and winter rye. According to the Penn State Agricultural Extension Office, “Both of these crops will survive the winter. You will need to turn them under in the spring when they grow a foot tall. Be aware that rye grows very aggressively in the spring while wheat grows more slowly.” (https://extension.psu.edu/cover-crops-in-homegardens-improve-soil-and-reduceerosion)

I could add one more thing to the list of soil protectors: snow. Snow is a great temporary groundcover, freely provided by Mother Nature and involving zero effort on our part. Just a few days ago, I saw a prediction for our area, which said that we can expect more snowfall than usual this winter. Good news for gardeners, skiers, etc., if not for others.

Note: A seasonal warning from Diamond Rock Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic in Malvern. “Please don’t EVER use fake spider webbing outside! Wildlife rehabbers receive countless animals every fall that have been trapped and injured—sometimes even killed—in the material. Use it inside if you must, but be aware that your pets may also get entangled!”