Container gardening in winter season

Temperatures dip down during the winters and it may not be the best time for gardening. But you can still grow and take care of cold hardy plants during this time. Here are some tips for successful container gardening in winter.

Photo by laura adai on Unsplash

1. Choosing the right kind of pot

It’s necessary to choose a frost-tolerant container for winter gardening or else the container will crack. Wooden, Ceramic and thick plastic containers are good for winter gardening.

2.  Choosing a good location

Pick a warm location that gets good sunlight to place your containers. When the weather becomes extreme during the winter you can bring them inside.

3.Insulating your containers

Properly insulating your containers with straw, dry leaves and burlap can help trap the heat within the containers and protect your plants from freezing. Mulching your plants is another way to insulate and retain moisture in containers.

4.Use soilless mixture

Using a soilless mixture is another way to grow a successful container garden during the winter. Amending perlite, vermiculite, and Compost is a good way for plants to grow.

5.Grow cold hardy plants during the winter

Cold hardy plants can tolerate low to moderate levels of frost. Although the growth is slow during the winter periods, you can still harvest them during the spring season.

Cold hardy vegetables include Kale, Cabbage, Swiss chard, Broccoli, Lettuce, Garlic, Spinach, Radishes, Carrots and Beetroots.

Cold hardy flowers include Pansies, Calendula, Cornflower, Viola and Snapdragons.

Cold hardy Herbs include Rosemary, Oregano, Chives, Dill, Fennel, Horseradish, Lemon Balm, Tarragon and Lavender.

6. Watering

During the winter the frequency of watering your plants is less. Water your plants in the early morning. Indoor plants can be watered once a week when the soil is dry. Container plants that are outdoors can be watered when the temperature is above 40°F and the soil is dry.

7. Fertilizing

Avoid fertilising during the winter season. You can resume fertilising during the spring season.

8. Pruning

You can remove dead stems from your container plants during the late winter.

Container plants that are given proper care during the winter season, grow back during the spring when the soil warms up. Hope you found this article helpful. You can find out how to prepare your container garden for winter in this article.