What are your fall/winter plans?

[u/Tooaroo]

We have had freezing temps nearly every night for a couple weeks now, so I’ve transitioned into winter mode other than some late fall planting I still need to do. I was so sad when the season ended, but ended up finding fun ways to fill my time that I didn’t expect. I’ve been thrifting new pots and other structure/decorative items to make my garden look intentional in the winter time, ordered seeds for winter sowing, and set up a heated bird bath and some suet bird feeders to attract new birds (it worked!! I didn’t even realize we had downy woodpeckers and stellar jays where we live and they literally came 2 days after I set them up!!). Something that is really fun is that the native trees and plants seemed to encourage them to notice our yard!

I also want to plan out my paths this winter.

What are you focusing on to get through the cold months?

[u/irastaz]

Cold season is time for big invasive removal projects. I triage all the ivy and blackberry thickets in the neighborhood throughout the year and go after them starting in winter.

[u/hastipuddn → u/irastaz]

It's a good time to volunteer with your local community groups that do invasive species removal. I work on a woodland across the street from me. I won't finish in my lifetime but I'm making a difference.

[u/AmnesiaZebra]

It's still fall where I am but I'm concentrating on cutting down all the invasives the previous owners planted, cardboard+ mulching parts of the yard, and saving milk jugs for winter plug planting. I have a thousand crepe myrtle and Chinese holly to kill

[u/Distinct-Weird8784 → u/AmnesiaZebra]

Im in the SC midlands and working on the same! I cut down a crepe myrtle 2 years ago, and those shoots still pop up! Crepe myrtles are the worst!

Theres a native plant sale in Columbia next week! So I hope to get some stuff to plant. Then just work on fertilizing and watering and treating the plants I have now

[u/dogtor_howl → u/AmnesiaZebra]

Let me know if you figure out how to kill the holly and keep it dead lol. I’m headed into our third winter in our house in Central VA, and the holly is relentless. (I shake my fist at the old man who lived here before and planted it!)

[u/AmnesiaZebra → u/dogtor_howl]

I have five of them, over 12' tall, and the yard isn't even that big. It's ridiculous

[u/dogtor_howl → u/AmnesiaZebra]

The former owner put one right by the front door, just over where the water line enters the house. Why? Just…why? 🤦🏼‍♀️

[u/Cimmerian4life83 → u/dogtor_howl]

/insert Simpons meme "as was the style at the time"

https://giphy.com/gifs/EAUR3RNmBm2y8QoLs4

[u/Cimmerian4life83 → u/dogtor_howl]

I have four shrubs along the hilly wooded part of my property line we've cut down to almost stubs a few times, and they always grow back. We're having some landscaping done, and when they excavated around that hill they were digging out stupid thick and ludicrously long roots that must've been the hollys'. May have to resort to hack and squirt with triclopyr down the road

[u/dogtor_howl → u/Cimmerian4life83]

We cut ours last year, drilled the stumps at the same time, dosed them, and they still sent up shoots this year. I can only assume this will be the work of years…

[u/gottagrablunch]

My plan is to let the garden go naturally as it does into winter. I’ll be collecting some seeds for possible use in spring but leaving the rest. I’ll do very little maintenance over winter. Towards mid to late January I’ll start to think and plan for next year.

[u/PlusYam3126 → u/gottagrablunch]

I’m already thinking of weeding 😭 this year was a little overwhelming because I had no garden and let it overgrow in the past. It works for me to go through weed species like a game- collect all Norway maple saplings, then all ragweed, then queen annes lace when it’s still a tiny carrot, etc. but also pay attention to the big guys like I’m sure some lily of the valley will still come up (I pulled it all but I hear it’s not that easy to get rid of)

[u/Forward_Geologist342]

Here’s my winter routine! I retreat to the wood shop to make planters and birdhouses. Winter sow, blow excess leaves to an area I’ll sheet mulch later, destroy Chinese mantis egg sacs around a nearby meadow. And dream about the next season…

[u/2matisse22]

It was cold last night, but I just put on some lined pants, and I am going to go outside and clear the garage of cardboard! I have one path I want to get finished before winter. My other big project before winter actually gets here is to retreat/clear buckthorn and ash trees and burn the wood. I have some big brush piles in the back that will stay for animals, but I want to throw some seed this winter and need to remove all of the brush that is in the way of the ground. No idea if I will get all of this done, but we've only had one cold night, and it looks like it is going to bounce back to fall.... As to what I will be doing in winter....Well, I have my last lawn transition bed to finish designing, and I am hoping to get started on growing plants inside -doing the freezer method for cold stratification. I will be throwing seed...I usually do this right before the ground freezes...So much to do!

[u/Waterfallsofpity]

Mostly just walking around my beds and enjoying late season pollinators. I have trimmed off some seed heads for plants I do not want to spread any more. (I'm looking at you Goldenrod)

I actually love watching the garden slowly decay through the winter. The seed heads of my White Wild Indigo look awesome against some snow.

[u/immersemeinnature]

Yesterday it was 90, today it's 60. FINALLY some cool air! I'm gonna do winter sowing this year for the first time and that won't happen until December.

[u/asinglequandry]

Stare at my garden from the window and be sad I can’t be out there because it’s too cold.

[u/Thebadparker]

I have one last big section where I want to lay down cardboard and mulch for planting in the spring or possibly the next few weeks if I can decide what I want to plant. Other than that, I want to work on removing the ever creeping Creeping Charlie and the other invasives I try to keep at bay.

[u/Entangled9]

Continue mulching (I'm behind); pull buckthorn and honeysuckle and grapevine; upgrade trellises; dream and plan about what to plant where next year; winter sowing; come up with new ways to hang houseplants so my young cats can't get them. It's a busy time but definitely less sweaty.

[u/PlusYam3126]

Mentally motivating myself to remove buckthorn and also telling myself that plants dying off for winter isn’t the same as plants dying, my tiny wild petunias that are turning light brown but still standing upright is called “fall”.

[u/dogtor_howl]

Zone 7b here, so no frost yet. I just purchased ten gem box inkberries, two squeeze box inkberries, seven sweet spires, and two Japanese maples. Tackling three more beds for a redo at our house, which we bought a couple of years ago. Taking out more grass and doing compost/cardboard/mulch so it’ll be ready for new plants come spring. One of the three beds also needs gypsum cultivated in; it had crazy high salt levels when I did the soil testing this spring. Our extension agent also recommended more water and rest for it before I start planting in it. I need to cover my fig trees in burlap and bury them in leaves (they’re small and still pretty new). I ordered some allium and daffodil bulbs to plant, and I need to redo/reinforce some mesh around the trees and some shrubs we already planted because of our herds of deer lol.

[u/juwyro]

It's just about to dip into the 50s for the first time down here in Florida. I'll probably mow tomorrow for the last time this year and purge my carddboard hoard to smother the grass for next spring.

[u/Herefourfunnn]

I’m manually leveling land before I do some winter seeding. Definitely a good workout

[u/ilikebugsandthings]

I've been weeding and planting. I just got a ton of stuff from a fall plant market so lots more planting to do, some weeding. Right before first snowfall I'll spread the seed that I have. Also overwinter I need to find some kind of little decorative fence to go around the garden/protect it from the lawnmower. 

[u/Kaths1]

Late fall/early winter is when I move/repair fencing - I have a lot of younger trees and keep having to make their fences bigger.

I also refresh wood chips/mulch and lay down cardboard for new beds.

[u/LeoIrish]

For myself, I am working on finishing a couple of projects - including planting a tree - and then cleaning up the shed so I can put our outdoor furniture away (so many larger projects this year). I am working on finalizing the revised layout of one of my larger beds and what veggies we are planting next year (adding another 8x4 raised bed). Also, I have decided to add Pale Purple Coneflowers next year in a few spots, and my seeds just arrived today, and trying to figure out if I want to do the same with Purple Prairie Clover.

[u/Fenifula]

Right now collecting seeds is the main priority. I have a big area to plant next spring, because I lost a big tree during a storm. It was a pretty nice shade garden before, but with more sun there's room for a lot more natives.

[u/Thistle_down-1]

I just put my water feature to bed. This was my first year having it, and it took 2 days, because I used hose water to fill it and top it off. The scale on the inside was insane. 2 days of lots and lots of vinegar soaks to take care of it. Next year--distilled water all the way!