Tony O’Neill, gardener and author of the popular “Composting Masterclass” and “Your First Vegetable Garden,” combines lifelong passion and expert knowledge to simplify the art of gardening. His mission? Helping you cultivate a thriving garden.
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Gardeners are always worried about their raised beds during the wintertime. With the harsh and chilly winds, keeping the raised beds in good condition is difficult. But most home gardeners do not know what will protect their raised beds in winter. Many people recommend covering the raised beds in winter and claim it does wonders.
Raised beds can benefit from being covered in winter. This protects the soil from the constant weather battering, allowing soil microbes to continue to work throughout winter and prepare it enough come springtime. It also prevents weeds from growing in your already prepared beds.
Table of Contents
In the next few sections, we will discuss things you can do as a gardener before covering up the beds and the benefits of doing so, so read on!
What to do Before Covering the Raised Beds in Winter
Raised bed gardening is often done in areas with poor soil quality, thus creating garden beds and filling them with nutrient-rich soil. To explain more about the process of raising garden beds, I have written an article on just what raised bed gardening is.
It covers the benefits of raised bed gardening, bed designs, just how many beds you can look into, and what plants can be grown in said setup.
With this, however, come winter, your plants may be exposed to the harsh winter climate. Due to that, look into the following steps you can do to save your soil and plants in their raised garden beds come winter.
1. Clean up Finished Plants during winter in your raised garden beds
Old plants give the raised beds an untidy look. But this is not the only reason you should clean them up before covering the raised beds. It is noted that old and finished plants can be the reason for diseases and fungi. On top of that, these dying plants are also an open invitation for many insects.
Not cleaning these plants can lead up to a horrible pest attack.
If these plants are not covered during winter, many insects may feed on them. These insects also lay their eggs on your raised beds and start growing their colony there. This situation should be avoided because insects in soil are harder to get rid of. But do not there the dead plants away. Bury them deep in your raised beds for extra nutrients.
2. Clean up the Invasive Weeds in your raised garden bed before covering them
Like old plants, weed is not good for your little garden, but for different reasons. Weed feed from the same soil and hence absorb most of the nutrients. This results in several deficiencies in your new crop, which no one wants.
So, you clean up the weed and bury them in the raised beds? No. Unlike finished plants, weeds are alive (obviously). And it can regrow if buried deep inside. It is also not recommended to add it to the compost pile for the same reason. So, what to do with the Invasive Weed? Throw it away in the garbage or burn it up during a bonfire.
3. Prepare the Soil of your raised garden bed before covering them up for winter
People think that preparing the soil for spring should be done in spring. But preparing soil and adding nutrients in the wintertime is far better than doing it in the planting season. This means manure to the soil and adds compost. You can also add any other nutrients if you want.
Adding nutrients beforehand is important because it lets the ingredients break down into the soil.
This benefit is then when the spring season comes, you do not have to start from point zero. The raised bed would be fertile instead of having dried-out soil. At this point, you can cover the raised beds if you want. Or you can follow more steps to gain more benefits.
4. Covering the raised garden beds for winter
Now you have done every possible thing to enhance the quality of your soil. It is time to cover the soil to lose any nutrients and stay healthy.
You can use many covers to protect the raised beds in winter. You can either use something natural, for example, mulch. Or get plastic covers. The choice is up to you because every item has its separate benefits.
Protect Raised Beds in Winter – Planting Cover Crop
No, the cover crop does not mean covering the crop. Many plants are named “cover crops” in the fall and winter seasons.
What are cover crops?
Cover crops are important plants that you plan to cover the earth. They are planted to better the soil quality and are often added in as a natural way to control pests and enhance mycorrhizal fungi in the soil.
To aid you with understanding the importance of them, I have written an article on the ultimate guide to cover crops. They cover lists of cover crops you can look into and a video of using them as green manure all around the garden.
Benefits to cover crops
The soil becomes infertile when raised beds are not cared for in winter. Many gardeners face a common problem in spring soil erosion, wherein the topsoil is wearing away.
Many gardeners know that the topsoil is enriched with the most nutrients; without healthy topsoil, growing healthy plants is not possible. Planting cover crops can help with this problem.
Cover crops also increase the percentage of organic matter in the soil.
It can retain a suitable water level in the soil. Some crops also add nitrogen to the soil, improving the soil overall.
Examples of cover crops to plant for winter on raised garden beds
It is always recommended to contact your local seed provider for a cover crop. Because some cover crops might not be suitable for your environment. Nonetheless, here are some of the common examples of cover crops.
| Cover crops | The benefit of the cover crop |
| Buckwheat | It is a fast-growing cover crop that saves soil from erosion. It also prevents weed growth. |
| Winter Rye | This crop is also called cereal rye. Just like buckwheat, it prevents weed. It also loosens up compact soil. |
| Hairy Vetch | For gardeners living in the North, this crop might be the best. It can without harsh climates and add nitrogen to the soil. |
| Clover | This easily available crop increases the percentage of nitrogen in the soil. It can also make the soil more fertile for spring planting. |
Next, let us think about the consideration of using cover crops in winter.
Considerations of cover crops when planted on raised garden beds for winter.
A cover crop is all-natural, so it will not have any side effects. Wrong. The first disadvantage is that you would have to give extra time to the crop during winter. The second con that many people have noticed is pests being present.
But if you still use a cover crop, add netting over the raised beds. It will protect the crop and soil from insects.
Protecting Raised Beds with Natural Cover – Use Mulch
Whether it is summer or winter, mulching has the same benefits. Like cover crops, mulching in winter can also save the soil from erosion. It can also prevent water loss in soil. And if you are about weed growing in your raised beds, mulching will also solve that issue.
But other than that, winter mulching has other benefits too. Some plants can not survive cold weather. This is why it is recommended not to plant in cold soil.
Adding a thin layer of mulch will regulate the temperature of the soil, making it easier to plant new crops in spring right away.
Many gardeners like to plant root vegetables in winter. The thick layer of mulch will protect those plants from freezing too. And it will enhance the lifespan and quality of the root vegetables. The best part is when the spring season arrives; mulch will have broken down. This will work really in new nutrients for your new vegetables.
Artificial Cover for Raised Beds in Winters – Use Black Plastic
Black plastic sheets have been used for over half a century because of their affordability.
It is also the most popular among other colors since it better prevents the light from passing. It is great for warming the soil in winter. Additionally, it has several benefits you can get at a low cost.
Benefits of using black plastic to cover garden beds in winter
Black polythene sheets warm the soil better. This is great for growing vegetables that love warmness, such as tomatoes and pumpkins.
The presence of the sheet allows high levels of carbon dioxide to build up under it.
This accelerates plant growth by potentially extending the growing season. You can also use a black plastic sheet when the raised bed has plants. It reduces direct contact with the soil. And saves the plants from diseases caused by watering and decreases the chances of erosion.
Considerations for using black plastic to cover up gardens in winter
But like any other product, the black sheet also has cons.
- It is not an environment-friendly option and increases the carbon footprint. Getting rid of black plastic after winter is over can be quite tiresome.
- If you do not live in a city with a harsh winter, then do not use it, as black plastic can sometimes overheat the soil.
Due to the material, it also can get scorching itself, which makes watering the plants difficult.
Filling Raised Garden Beds For Free
Discover the secret to filling your raised garden bed for FREE using cheap, natural, and organic methods! In this video, Tony O’Neill from Simplify Gardening will guide you through the Hugelkultur technique to create a moisture-retentive and nutrient-rich environment for your plants, all while saving money and being eco-friendly. 🌱💧🌿
Learn how to gather and use materials like rotting logs, garden trimmings, woodchips, cardboard, cow manure, and homemade compost to fill your raised garden bed. We’ll also discuss the pros and cons of raised garden beds and how they can benefit your gardening experience. Plus, don’t miss out on Tony’s book recommendation, “Composting Masterclass,” for mastering the art of creating nutrient-rich compost at home. 📘🌟🌻
Get ready to transform your gardening game and watch your plants thrive with these sustainable, cost-effective methods! Click through to watch now, and don’t forget to like and subscribe for more gardening tips and tricks. 📺👍🌼
FAQs
The conclusion is, should raised gardening beds be covered in winter?
Does this mean that covering the raised beds in winter is enough? No. There are many other steps that a gardener should follow before covering the bed. Covering the bed is a good start, but you can not get all the benefits unless you follow other steps.
These tips and tricks can keep the raised beds healthy in the winter. And when you start planting in the spring and summer again, the crop will be better than last year.
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