Mastering Winter Garden Prep: Soil Secrets for a Thriving Spring

[@AJWGBFX]

You always inspire me to do more to improve the soil of my allotments. Keep producing these videos, please, and don’t be afraid of repetition - most of us need plenty of reminders of what to do, how, when and where! No naughty sheep today.

[@Blossomandbranch]

Thank you for the feedback!! Yes, the sheep have been good since their last episode, satiated with pumpkins right now! 😂

[@jcrockett870]

One of my favorite cover crops is lentils... I use the ones from the grocery store and rake them in. they sprout and grow in the fall and they easily winter kill.

[@MyFocusVaries]

Great tips. Thanks. I've planted a lot of chard since it over winters here. For anyone using rye as a cover crop, make sure you cut it down before it goes to seed!

[@Blossomandbranch]

Yes, we don’t use rye because it’s so hard to terminate!! Thanks for watching! ❤️

[@rk800-z9d]

I am so excited to find your channel today because you are 10 minutes drive from me:-) I'm a gardener for 20 years, still your information is very valuable for me ( in same climate!). See you sometime soon. Happy holiday season🎄

[@charlesbale8376]

Excellent information...Enjoyed the video.

[@differentkim]

You are right! Yes! Some crucial soil good guys, like fingi, won't even show up if there are no roots present. Great video! Thank you for spreading the good word! I'm glad that I found y'all. Good luck with everythihg.

[@Blossomandbranch]

So nice of you, thank you!!

[@grisespino5342]

Your farm is a dream.

[@domisotto6716]

Thank you for the great tips! And in particular, for relaxed attitude for making life more simple! I can't tell you how grateful I am for the tip earlier on that local arborist might have free mulch. It is a huge cost saver for a bigger yard, and as local as can be

[@Blossomandbranch]

You are so welcome! I’m so glad to hear!!

[@kfaulknerstudio]

That was very helpful and perfect timing! Thank you.

[@Blossomandbranch]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ElderandOakFarm]

Love the drone shots! So jealous of all tue land you have!

[@Blossomandbranch]

Thanks so much! It's under two acres but often feels like more--and also often feels like not enough, haha!

[@jimkingsland1645]

Brea! So good to see you again! Timely video and as usual full of great detailed info!

[@Blossomandbranch]

Thank you, hope everyone enjoys the last bit of fall before the cold really sets in!!

[@cbak1819]

Thanks Brie ...so much! I just mulch mowed two huge piles of leaves and spread them all over the place in our garden and put the rest in compost bin. Great tip on not mulching crops you want to died back buy spring!

[@Blossomandbranch]

Better than them ending up in the landfill, for sure. :)

[@1Lightdancer]

I'm in Western Oregon (8b) and have Austrian Field peas and broad beans sprouting, for both cover crop and winter greens! Recently read that the Field peas are great for pea shoots and greens, and they are hardy through the winter here. I was sad when kind neighbors, who love their leaf blowers, removed the leaves from the yard this week - last time I asked them to leave them for me, as I'm a gardener - so i was caught off guard! I'm now in a Granny cottage behind my daughter's, and these guys do several yards then take the leaves away .... After the rain settle down I'll visit a friend and gather more -

[@cathydiggs6409]

Great video I’m also in Colorado and noticed this year with the crazy weather wherever I had leaf mulch we had an obscene amount of Rollie pollies. We started to use straw mulch and it helped. Again the weather was much cooler and a lot of things stunted with the rain and colder nights.

[@patcracker6383]

I had an extreme amount of Rollie pillows too here in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They ate every single seedling before the plant got to a few inches tall. It happened twice before I got them under control. The only thing I changed is I tried coco coir nuggets as a top mulch which possibly made it a nice home for the rollies😂

[@Blossomandbranch]

Make sure you’re watering in the morning and not at night! Roly polys are attracted to organic matter and moisture. In early spring before plants are large enough to withstand attacks, you can clear the mulch away which will also help the soil warm, and then replace the mulch when plants get bigger. Also make sure you’re supporting the entire ecosystem and attracting birds to the garden-they love roly polys and earwigs!

[@666bruv]

Woodlouse are great wood decomposers

[@bigtomatoplantslover6205]

Wow Wonderful Garden ~ Thank you for good sharing LIKE 152 My friend, have a good relationship 😊

[@tamararobinson2069]

I worry about getting a heavy load of earwigs and slugs living in the left vegetation. I’m fairly free of these destructive critters and so do t want to breed tons😬 Advice please💚

[@frankscales7295]

As we say in Ireland your a thundering women, nice vid , one SUB added 😊

[@rachaelbrown1726]

Another great video with some great suggestions. ❤

[@Blossomandbranch]

Thank you so much!

[@thecakepopsistars]

I can’t thank you enough for sharing your insights and experience. 😊 A new gardener zone5 Canada

[@EvaMarieK]

Thank you!! This info is so helpful!

[@Blossomandbranch]

Glad it was helpful! ❤️❤️

[@margotmorrell3765]

Thank you for a great video. I have been told to wait with mulching until the ground is frozen otherwise rodents may hide under the mulch, burrow into the soil and damage plant roots. It is hard to wait until January to mulch though.

[@Blossomandbranch]

I prefer mulching in fall, otherwise we are mulching over snow which doesn’t make much sense for us. This protects the soil life from temp extremes. We do also work hard to facilitate a mini ecosystem though and have an owl box that hosts great horned who help with the rodents :)

[@user-jp7zh7mq6k]

Great video

[@lydianicolenorwick125]

Thanks for this video!

[@Blossomandbranch]

My pleasure!

[@JoyoftheGardenandHome]

1st? I threw some rye seeds in, just cleaned out the coop and driving around collecting leaves.

[@Blossomandbranch]

Busy bee! The rush of fall is fun (and so is the winter rest that follows, hah!)

[@briangrady9787]

great video! would the pine needles mulch add acidity to the bed?

[@kylesnyder3757]

Do you like your treadlite broadfork? Honest review…

[@trinawilliams1395]

I planted my first cover crop this year in my raised beds. Buckwheat, austrian peas, mustard and crimson clover. Its very thick and now that we've had several hard frosts most of it is dying. Being very thick and tall, can i cut the tops off and spread the tops to other areas that i had no time to cover crop? I need the mulch for the other beds but will taking the tops off defeat the purpose of the cover crop where its planted? It will still have the roots and a lot of stems and leaves. I really need to take your regenerative gardening course!! Thanks for all your great info!!

[@Blossomandbranch]

Hi, that's awesome! I would personally just leave it and use leaves to mulch other areas. :) There won't be much of a difference and that way you'll still have the mulch residue on the soil for spring in the bed you cover cropped. Hope that helps!

[@trinawilliams1395]

@@Blossomandbranch thanks for the advice. I'. It certainly does help!

[@HannahFiser]

Hello, newbie here! Are there any cover crops that I need to worry about growing back from runners and roots even if I don’t mulch and let the cold terminate? Working so hard to get the grass out of my garden that keeps popping back up - would oats, buckwheat or vetch cause the same problem?

[@heathera.goesch5333]

Thanks as always Bri! I may have missed it somewhere earlier in the video but as you're talking about the mums and perennials, you mentioned the "peonies that we cut down" -- did you do this because of powdery mildew or is this an annual practice? This is my first year with several young plants and I'm at a loss of what to do!

[@heathera.goesch5333]

I ask because two of my four little peony plants succumbed completely, from base to tip, to powdery mildew. Not sure if cutting down entirely to the ground would kill it, or if that's the best course of action. Thank you!

[@mycherona1]

We live an area with a lot of ice and freezing rain. I’m concerned with using leaves and them creating an icy mat which doesn’t melt as quickly as dark colored soil for when I need to plant out hardy annuals in the early spring. What’s your advice in this case? In the past the matted icy leaf layer has always melted slower for me and made early planting difficult.

[@Blossomandbranch]

Leaves (or any mulch) can definitely keep the soil cool for longer in spring by a couple weeks, so remove mulch from areas you know you'll want to plant a couple weeks in advance. :) If it's frozen, you can throw a black tarp over it for a couple days and that will help warm things in spring.

[@markblumhardt]

Hi I’m in Parker. So very interested in what you do. What onions did you grow?

[@yamomanemjazz]

I just cleared a 30 yr old ivy area. I'm just leaving that ground exposed - hopin the soil will just release that toxic stuff English ivy spreads. Is there a cover crop that helps?

[@robclower9606]

Lots of great information in this video, thank you! When is the best time of year to start seeds that I collected from native fall flowering perennial wild flowers that I collected locally? Zone 8.

[@Blossomandbranch]

I would store in the freezer and then you can either winter sow into milk jugs or start indoors in late winter-timing depends on the seed!

[@robclower9606]

@@BlossomandbranchThank you for the response, I will give it a shot!

[@JDgardenandflowers]

What growing zone are you in? I liked your content

[@Blossomandbranch]

USDA 5/6. Thank you!! 🙏

[@loriakers4952]

Do you shred your leaves before putting them on your garden?

[@Blossomandbranch]

They sometimes come that way, but I don’t have a mulcher that can shred this much at once so usually I use the mulched ones on bed to prevent from blowing away and store the unmulched in leaf towers until the next year. Adding water and compost would speed up breakdown!

[@aseasonalabode]

What cover crops would you recommend starting with?

[@Blossomandbranch]

Something easy like oats and peas!

[@ashleyamelia08]

How do you know there's no pests or pesticides within the donated leaves?

[@ashleyamelia08]

I guess it's just an honor system? I see you request non-treated material

[@Blossomandbranch]

Yes, we request nontreates! there’s never a guarantee but we always make sure to mix bags from other sources to mitigate it in case. ;)

[@kmsch986]

I have an area where I’m battling bindweed, blasting with weed killers has been only solution and it’s not even working. I was thinking of trying alfalfa and hairy vetch as combo cover crop to shade it and smother. Do you think that combo would work in Colorado for bindweed. It’s such a nightmare.

[@MyFocusVaries]

Since you've noted that weed killer isn't working, I'd suggest stopping that. I've been battling bindweed and am winning through persistent pulling. That's it. Just not letting it continue to grow. And I think your idea of giving it some competition is a great one.

[@Blossomandbranch]

Anyone who has dealt with bindweed understands your struggle. Herbicide can actually be very effective against bindweed IF used carefully and at the right time--CSU recommends October as the best time to treat with a systemic. Brush it on the leaves when the plants are still green and taking energy down into the roots. The problem with bindweed is the depth of the taproot, which makes smothering pretty ineffective. Of course I'd never recommend using herbicide unless absolutely necessary, but we do occasionally use it for invasive trees like callery pear, common buckthorn, and bush honeysuckle--but we always paint it on manually with a brush and never apply to the soil. I wouldn't use hairy vetch as a method of smothering as it will go to seed and create another weedy mess for you. In areas we've had pernicious bindweed, we've had the most success with turning those areas into thick native grasses; the deep roots of those seem much. more effective against bindweed than other shallower rooted plants like annual cover crops. I hope that's helpful! I feel your pain.

[@kmsch986]

@@MyFocusVaries my first season tried pulling and it grew with a vengeance, couldn’t keep up. Thus the weed killer. It’s a huge area so physically impossible to pull all of it. I thought I had pulled it all and after a big rain came out to find huge patches of it that had sprouted up. The pulling just grabbed the tops and left the deep tuber roots. Going to try competition or just covering whole area with heavy weed cloth for a few years and let it die and start over.

[@kmsch986]

@@Blossomandbranch great advice! Thank you

[@traceym.5135]

Do you ask people to chop up the leaves first? Yours look chopped. We have a lot of big oak leaves where I live.

[@Blossomandbranch]

We take them either way. The chopped are best for applying in fall as they won’t blow away! Any un mulched go into leaf towers until the following summer when we need to refresh mulch.

[@jasonknight5045]

great video, you talk really fast though, no offence

[@kate-br3be]

You can slow down the playback speed

[@kate-br3be]

You can slow down the playback speed

[@Blossomandbranch]

I do talk fast, habit from trying to always get a word in edgewise with my kids! Will try to slow it down 😊

[@jasonknight5045]

your information is great, one of the more knowledgable ive seen and its appreciated :) @@Blossomandbranch

[@marniesgouros1491]

Thanks Brianna for all the great tips. This is only my second full year growing flowers in my yard. Last year I cut everything back and this year I didn’t want to do all that work… so nice to hear all the justifications for leaving plants in the ground! Next year I will try cover cropping!

[@johnknowles6520]

I agree you can't use a bush hog in a raised bed, but you can use a hedge trimmer to cut the plants close to the ground. Shredded leave will not below away in the wind away as much as leaves that are not shredded. I enjoy your videos

[@pennysimpson4707]

Very informative

[@Blossomandbranch]

Glad you think so! ❤️