Winter in the Garden

For all intents and purposes there is no outdoor gardening during the winter where I live, unless you count shovelling snow as a form of gardening.  I have spent most of my life living in an area where year round gardening was doable and and after several years living in Ottawa, it is still hard for me to adjust to the fact that I can not walk outside my door and pick fresh herbs for dinner in January.  Despite that, winter is still my favourite time of the year. The beauty of falling snow and the quiet stillness that follows is something I always look forward to. 

Even though the garden is covered in several feet of snow does not mean that there is nothing left to do outside.  The hedge surrounding my yard is home to a thriving community of woodland creatures that like to congregate around the bird feeders that I have setup. I maintain two bird feeders at different locations away from the house. This makes it necessary to maintain walk-able pathways in the yard for refilling and general care and maintenance. There are also compost bins that are also at a distance from the house that are frequently used and need to be kept clear of snow.

The long winters in this area allow for a lot of time for reflection and planning for the next growing season. I like to look at pictures that I took over past growing seasons to remind myself of how things grew and find ways to improve for next year. Another good habit to get into is to write down notes and dates or create drawings of significant events from the growing season, such as the date for seeding, where things were planted, etc., so there is something to refer to for future planning. It is easy to think that you’ll remember all of this at the time, but that is rarely how things work out when you sit down months later to plan for the next growing season.

While the garden may be covered with snow during the winter months, for me, winter is my time to grow as a gardener through reflection on the past growing seasons and the lessons I can learn from so that I can better aid the growth of plants in my garden in the spring.