Winter is coming…but is your garden ready?
Carson Arthur, landscape designer and HGTV host, shared his tips with 980 CKNW on how to prepare your garden for winter.
Tip #1: Don’t give up (yet) on unripe tomatoes still on the vine
The amount of sunlight we experience each day is becoming more limited but that doesn’t mean unripened tomatoes are a lost cause.
“If you want those tomatoes to ripen, throw some banana peels down around the bottom of the plant,” Arthur said on 980 CKNW’s Mornings With Simi.
“As the banana peels decompose, they will release ethylene gas and that makes your tomatoes ripen.”
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Tip #2: Don’t get overzealous with pruning
In a haste to prepare their yards for winter, Arthur notes some gardeners can be overzealous in what they prune.
“If it is still green, do not prune it off,” warned Arthur. “If it is still green, the leaves are still producing energy for the roots below.”
However, he recommends that now is a good time to remove dead branches that may become problematic in the winter.
“If you see any cracked branches, any dead branches — now is the time to get in there and prune it.”
Tip #3: Don’t transplant in cold weather
Resist rearranging shrubs in your yard prior to winter, said Arthur.
“Technically, you can absolutely do it now,” he told host Simi Sara. “But I always tells people if you have the ability to wait for spring, that is so much better.”
Some of the finer roots important for absorbing water will be removed during the transplanting process.
“So then when you’re transplanting in the fall, the first thing the plant wants to do is regrow those roots,” said Arthur. “So it takes some of the energy that it has stored to try to regrow those roots. When there is cold soil, it’s hard for it.”
He said that transplanting in the spring allows plants the time they need to regrow roots and store up energy for the following cold season.
For everything you need to start your day, listen to Mornings With Simi weekdays from 5:30am to 9:00am on 980 CKNW.
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