Tackle Your Winter Gardening To-Dos with The Greenway
At first glance, winter may seem like a slower season in Boston gardens, but it’s actually the perfect time to tackle many gardening tasks! Here at The Greenway, we pride ourselves on our care for the many gardens featured throughout the park. Not only do we showcase a variety of native plants and vital habitat for pollinators, but we’re one of the only public parks in the region with a landscape that is maintained completely organically!
Throughout the winter months, our Horticulture Team is hard at work performing maintenance and planning for the season ahead. With more than half a dozen gardens throughout The Greenway, there’s plenty of tasks to complete before spring arrives. Here are some of the winter to-do’s that are keeping our team busy over the next few weeks. We’d love to hear from you too! What will you be doing in your gardens at home?
Perform a tool inventory
Winter is the perfect time to tackle tool inventory and to clean, sharpen, or repair tools that need some extra TLC. Performing inventory in the winter will allow you to track down any missing tools before they’re needed again in spring.
Take stock of your seed library
As you look ahead to spring, don’t forget to revisit your seed library (and get ready to sort through the seed catalogues that will be arriving in your mailbox and inbox soon!). Ensure that you’re storing any leftover commercial seeds from previous seasons in a cool, dry place. Any seeds you’ve harvested from your own garden can be stored alongside commercial seeds once you’ve checked for pests and other debris.
Tackle pruning while branches are bare
Many trees and shrubs benefit from annual maintenance in the form of pruning. Whether your shrubbery is overgrown, or a tree branch is too low, winter’s the perfect time to tackle this chore. Winter pruning is especially beneficial because bare branches allow you to place cuts properly. Our Greenway Horticulture Team will be running a winter pruning workshop next week for some of our regular volunteers, so stay tuned for behind the scenes and additional tips and tricks you can bring into your garden. The Farmer’s Almenac has a wonderful online resource if you’re new to pruning, too!
Protect winter garden plants from the elements and pests
Winter can be a notoriously tricky time in the garden as brutal cold and hungry pests can take their toll. Many shrubs and young trees can benefit from wrapping or caging to protect them from hungry deer, rabbits and other animals looking for food. Meanwhile, some plants benefit from a generous layer of mulch to protect their root systems throughout the winter months. Leaves can be a wonderful resource to protect plants and offer winter habitat for hibernating insects.
As we get closer to spring, it’s also helpful to keep an eye on the forecast as new growth emerges. Some overly-enthusiastic early bloomers can benefit from extra protection during cold snaps (like a pot over your tulip blooms to protect them from a late snowfall).
Composting all year round
Some home gardeners might think to slow down their composting efforts during the winter months. However, if you’d like to continue composting throughout the winter months there are several ways to continue your efforts. From Boston’s Curbside Food Waste Collection, to worm bins, or even just insulating your compost pile or bin, composting is a pursuit you can enjoy all year round.
Connect with local gardening groups
With spring on the horizon, consider joining a local gardening group as part of your winter gardening checklist. Many communities offer meetups for local gardeners where you can learn more about best practices in your area. Additionally, these communities often host seedling swaps where you can exchange an extra tomato plant sprout for that new heirloom squash you’ve been eying. “Buy Nothing” groups on social media will often also have a specific section for gardeners where plants, tools and other resources may be listed. You never know what you’ll find!
Take a look at your seed-starting calendar
Even the most conscientious among us can let your winter gardening to-dos slip. One day Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and before you know it, the ground is starting to thaw. If you’re planning to start any seeds indoors this year, don’t forget to take a hard look at your calendar and add in important dates like “Last Frost” in your area so that you can time germination and transplanting accordingly.
Feed the birds with your winter garden
Many native plants offer both habitat and food for our hungry feathered friends in the winter months. Here at The Greenway, our native plant collection includes many examples of bird-friendly winter plants. From the staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) and winterberry (Ilex verticillata) found in the Wharf District , to the shadblow serviceberry, also known as serviceberry, or Juneberry, (Amelanchier canadensis) and northern bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica) in the Fort Point Channel area of the park, we pride ourselves on creating habitat in our winter gardens.
If you have a smaller outdoor space and aren’t able to add native plants like this to your winter gardening plans, consider a DIY bird feeder to supplement the diet of your local warblers!
Research pollinator habitat options
The winter months are a perfect time to consider adding in pollinator habitat! There are plenty of DIY options for bee hotels, butterfly boxes and more, or you can always visit a local garden center or online retailer to peruse pre-made options. Supporting our local pollinator population is incredibly important to promoting biodiversity and healthy gardens all year round.
Apply to be a Greenway volunteer!
Not only does The Greenway boast some beautiful gardens, we also happen to have a wonderful Volunteer Program too! Throughout the spring, summer and fall, there are countless opportunities to join us in our important work as we care for our park space and gardens. If you are excited to meet other folks passionate about sustainable horticulture, native plants, promoting biodiversity, all while getting your hands a little dirty, we can’t wait to meet you too. Learn more about our Volunteer Program here. We hope to see you soon, and until then, happy (winter) gardening!