Soil in Winter

• Winter is a time for rest for both the gardener and the soil. Some gardeners dig over their soil and leave it in ‘big clods’ for frost to break it down into a tilth. I prefer a mulch method and letting the worms do the digging.
• Remove any perennial weeds and hoe off remaining annual weed seedlings.
• Do not walk on wet soil to avoid compaction and squeezing out air from the soil.
• Don’t walk on frozen ground.
• Keep soil disturbance to a minimum.
• Add organic mulch to improve soil drainage.
• Add garden compost or soil around leeks,  sprout plants and broccoli to reduce wind rock.
• Most fertiliser application can wait until spring but  add Lime to your vegetable patch.
• Gather fallen leaves and rot them down separately to form leaf mold.
• Protect special plants from excess wind, rain and water-logging with some with shelter.
• Root our any weakling plants that you are not going to try to cultivate next year.
• Have a good therapeutic tidy up, clean and renew paths and leave the garden looking smart.