Putting the garden to bed in an ecological way

Putting the Garden to Bed in an Ecological Way

Just like us, our gardens slow down during the winter months. Traditionally, gardeners would clear crops, remove roots from beds and make sure everything was neat and tidy before winter truly set in.

As we now understand more about working with the natural world, we've come to realise that this isn't an ecologically friendly way of doing things.

When we 'tidy up' our gardens for the winter, we need to think about nature. Insects and mammals need places to hibernate during the winter, and by making things tidy, we are taking these much-needed spaces away. Horrifyingly, the UK is one of the most nature-depleted places in the world, so we really need to make more spaces for wildlife and nature to thrive.

How to Prepare a Garden for the Winter Months

1. Leave roots in the ground and plant matter on the surface of the soil.
2. Leave flower stems standing, to provide habitat and forage for wildlife.
3. Create spaces where wildlife can hibernate, including leaf piles and log stacks.

Creating space for wildlife means we will have to do less work to manage pests and diseases, and as UK gardens cover a larger area than all of our nature reserves combined, this can have a huge impact on our ecology.

How to Put a Veg Patch to Bed

• Remove any vegetable plants that are past their best, such as courgettes and nasturtiums. Chop at the base of the plants, leaving the roots in the soil and put the aerial parts on the compost heap.
• Cover the whole space with 5 cm of compost.
• You can then plant autumn crops directly into this compost.

How to Put a Perennial Garden to Bed

• Tidy the area a little bit, to reduce the chance of slugs and snails taking over, but leave most the leaf piles in place.
• Remove any frames and put away for the winter.
• Protect tender plants, such as lemon verbena, from frost damage, by covering with fleece or by moving to a more sheltered location.

By keeping dead flower stems in situ, predators like ladybirds will hibernate in them, and then go on to eat aphids in the summer months. This way, we are working with rather than against nature and encouraging a healthy and harmonious ecosystem.

Your Assignment

What could you do in your garden?