Do these 3 things in the garden in autumn and you will prevent winter damage

Autumn brings brilliant colors, brisk garden moments and a touch of whimsy. Enjoy a pleasant autumn day outside and prepare the yard for winter.

You shouldn’t miss out on certain fall jobs in the garden, even if tinkering in the garden fades away in the fall.

1. Network to the unreachable

Hares and moles occasionally visit the garden. Protect the tastiest and most attractive plants, such as young fruit trees, with dense mesh netting.

A net of a good meter high is usually sufficient for hares and porcupines, unless the snow gets stuck around the net. For deer and roe deer, it is good to choose a higher net, around 150–200 cm.

You can get the protective net firmly in place when you first put two support sticks on the opposite sides of the tree when the ground melts. Staple the net to the support wall with a stapler or tie it with metal wire.

You should also put plastic trunk protectors on young trees.

During the winter, remember to check that the snow has not pushed the nets askew or that the nets are not so high that the hares can feast on the juicy shoots of the branch tips.

The snow can be stepped on lower, it also prevents moles from getting to the holes.

2. Protects the fragile

The most vulnerable plants can be protected from the cold with frost blankets. Coniferous branches are also suitable for protecting sensitive plants.

The plants are only protected when the ground is frosted. If you put the protective blankets too early, the plants are exposed to various molds and winter pests in the protection of the blankets.

Too tight a cover can make mold diseases rampant, so airiness is good.

Dry leaves, winter protective peat or wood chips can be spread over the root zone of young trees and shrubs. The cover keeps the soil warmer for longer, slows down frost and protects the fragile root system.

In the spring, the dense leaf cover prolongs the melting of the frost, so it should be removed and raked into the compost.

Winter protective peat can be spread just after the surface of the ground freezes and before winter comes. In the spring, peat can be added to the soil.

Conifers usually overwinter without shelter. In the spring and winter, the young conifers need protection from the drying rays of the spring sun, because when the ground is frozen, the plants do not get water from it and they dry out.

In February-March, conifers are covered with a shade net to protect them from the sun. The support structures can be put in place already in the fall, when they can be easily and firmly planted in the ground. Cones should be shaded at least a few years after planting.

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3. Prevent snow damage

Mark the groups of bushes and planting areas with plowing sticks so that the snow plow driver knows how to watch out for the plantings.

Large snowdrifts melt slowly in the spring and form an ice cover that causes ice burns. In the spring, you should break the ice to promote melting.

Multi-branched needles may spread from the weight of the snow. Thujas and pillar junipers can be tied lightly into a bundle with garden twine so that the crown does not split in the spring.

The snow accumulated on the roof can quickly come down on the plant groups. To protect the planting areas on the wall of the house, you can use conical board frames, which mitigate the damage caused by snow.

The snow provides protection for the plants, so in winters with little snow, the snow can be carefully shoveled to the roots of the plants.

The story was published in Maalla magazine 9/2023.