How to Bunker Down a Vegetable Garden for the Winter

At the end of harvest it is time to think about preparing the garden for the winter.
These steps will help protect your garden area over the winter months and make for an easier start for your next spring growing season.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• soil tester
• lime or sulfur
• organic fertilizer
• wooden boards
• straw

1. 
    
   Turning and Evening Soil

   Remove any large plants and put them into a compost pile. If you do not have one, now is a good time to start one. Turn the soil and even it out until the soil is level.

2. Test the soil for acidity or alkalinity, using a soil tester you can get at any gardening store. If the PH balance is off, you will need to buy the necessary product to bring soil back into ideal range. Most vegetables fall into a range of 5.5 to 7.5 as ideal range of PH. You should check the PH balance regularly; spring, fall and throughout the growing season. High PH balance means soil is alkaline; add sulfur to lower PH. Low PH balance means soil is acidic; add lime to raise PH.

3. Now is the time to add fertilizer, preferably organic; although this will make the soil acidic over time. Sprinkle the fertilizer evenly over the turned soil.

4. If garden is on an incline, place long boards across the garden soil to prevent erosion during the spring rains. Can also use large rocks, but these require more laborious work to place and remove.

5. 
    
   Laying Straw

   Cover the whole area with straw, this will give and additional protection to the soil and it can be used for mulch in the spring.

Tips & Warnings

• Use straw and not hay to eliminate any additional weeds from the hay seeds.