How to Use Winter Mulch to Protect Plants in Cold Weather

Annual Crops

Winter mulching of annual crops is primarily performed to maintain the bottom heat and forestall it from freezing for so long as doable, thus prolonging the harvest season for so long as doable.

Relying in your local weather, crops, and thickness of mulch, typically this course of may even permit crops to be harvested by the winter.

Mulch annual crops within the fall earlier than the bottom freezes. 

Crops akin to carrots, parsnips, turnips, beets, kohlrabi, and kale can typically final properly into the winter with additional layers of insulation to maintain soil from freezing.

Within the harsher climates of Zones 1 to three, crops might have further safety akin to floating row covers, hoop homes, or chilly frames to outlive.

Examine our our greatest choices for fall crops for extra data.

The best way to Mulch

To organize annual crops for an prolonged harvest, cowl crops with a one- to two-foot thick layer of straw, leaves, or different natural materials earlier than the bottom freezes.

Topping the entire thing off with a row cowl, previous mattress sheet, or backyard blanket will assist maintain all of it in place, stopping materials from blowing away throughout winter storms.

You possibly can safe the duvet with rocks, logs, or backyard staples. Additionally bear in mind to mark your beds with tall stakes, since you might have hassle discovering them once more beneath ft of snow!

Tip: Crops like kale and collard greens will be protected by surrounding crops with stakes wrapped in burlap and stuffing the area between with leaves or straw for insulation.

Some crops, akin to garlic and sure forms of onions are planted within the fall for a spring or summer time harvest.

Cowl these beds with a thick layer of leaves or straw to guard bulbs by the winter.

In spring, transfer leaves to the aspect to permit foliage to poke by and attain the daylight extra rapidly.

We take a deep dive into utilizing leaves as compost and mulch on this information.

Fallow Beds

Unplanted fallow beds will be coated over with natural materials anytime throughout the fall.

This can defend naked soil, serving to the soil to retain moisture, scale back erosion, and construct up vitamins.

So while you go to plant once more in spring, the soil shall be nutrient wealthy, wholesome, and moist!

Lasagna mulching is a good approach for shielding fallow beds the place you might be planning to develop nutrient loving annual crops within the spring, or for anyplace you need to enhance the soil.

To construct a lasagna mattress, merely stack 4 or extra layers of natural supplies.

Every layer needs to be just a few inches thick. Attempt to alternate layers of greens and browns materials identical to you’d in a compost bin:

Greens (nitrogen wealthy materials): Aged manure, compost, backyard waste, grass clippings

Browns (carbon wealthy materials): Leaves, straw, hay, sawdust, wooden shavings

Use any mixture of elements you could have readily available.