5 Ways to Warm Up Your Winter Garden

As the cold winter months persist our plants might suffer. There are some ways you can warm up your winter garden. We will cover the 5 best ways that you can keep your plants warm and thriving during these cold days.

1 Let the sun in.

~Using deciduous trees, trees that loose their leaves in the fall, are a great way to let the sun through to your garden in the winter, but then keep it shaded in the summer.

~Using a removable shade is great to keep your garden protected in the summer and then remove it for the winter sun to shine down on your plants.

~Install a retractable awning that is attached to the house. This allows you to enhance more shade.

2. Use structures to warm your plants

~Warming walls (like concrete blocks) absorb the sun during the day and continue to radiate heat when the sun sets. This increases the temperature about 5 degrees.

~Hoops. These trap in the heat. Make sure you have air space for air flow in there. If it rains you might want to retract the hoop house so your plants can get the rain, and then put it back up afterwards. The hoop increases the temperature about 14 – 20 degrees.

~Cold Frames. Keep the window open at about 20 degrees because it would get too hot if it was closed. However, the further North you live you might want to have the window open at a greater angle. You can get about a 40 degree shift in temperature depending on the angle you use.

3. Composting. This helps to create heat. It can generate up to 160 degrees heat when the temperature outside is cold. You will want to make sure you have more carbon in your compost, about 30 parts carbon (leaves, sawdust, paper, straw) to 1 part nitrogen (grass, manure, scraps).

4. Mulching. You can use wood mulch or straw mulch. With trees, be careful to not cover the trunk of the tree with mulch. It is best to make an indent or well on the inside and then pile up the mulch as a donut around the tree.

5, Raised Beds and Containers. These are heat retaining, insulated spaces that will keep your plants warm throughout the winter months.

The best way to design your garden for peak performance through the cold winter months as well as the hot summer months is through our microclimate technology. Get your yard evaluated today to get started on a design that will help your garden to thrive and look elegant.