As you may know already from following me on Facebook or Instagram, I love gardening. I love everything outdoors. Naturally, I spend a lot of time in my backyard and when I’m not helping my clients find and negotiate real estate deals here in El Paso Texas; I am covered in dirt. Below, are some tips I have for you to help winterize your garden this winter.

Sweep and Rake

Keeping your grass surfaces clean will help the soil stay healthy through winter and frost, weeds don’t drop seeds later on as they die giving the seeds time to germinate… then you have weeds all around your home again in summer.

Trim After 2 Frosts

I normally wait until it has frosted a couple of times before I trim back the trees and bushes. One of the reasons why is because normally the bugs and other pests leave their eggs dormant attached to the branches. Sometimes a frost isn’t cold enough to deter these bugs from showing up in the springtime. Last year, here in El Paso Tx., we had the chinch bugs everywhere! It was really difficult dealing with that, but a good trim and toss does the trick.

Pruning is especially important for buyers here in El Paso looking at homes for sale, keep the maintance cost and effort in mind. But if you are buying a home during the winter times, make a mental list to trim down the plants since you don’t know what went on during the summer days.

Cover Your Plants Early On

I cover my plants typically as the nights begin to average around 50degrees Fahrenheit at night or lower. When I do this I will use clear plastic sheets, like the ones used to cover items when painting. I do this early on because I want the warmth of the day to build up inside and essentially give it a time for the plants to get enough warmth still to create it’s own ecosystem and plants to get used to the indirect light as well. I personally believe it makes a difference keeping them healthy through the winter. Burlap is also amazing to keep them warm but lets little light in. If you find the burlap sacks just drop them over your plants.

Concrete Maintenance

One item of our backyards that usually go unnoticed and unattended is the typical rock wall we find in almost every house and road here in El Paso. We use this rock for everything. Unfortunately, the concrete doesn’t adhere too well to the rocks and overtime this and the fact that some contractors skimp out on concrete mix and our watering erodes the cement and walls need to be patched up to help your soil keep moisture as well to prevent it from crumbling on you.

Get Rid Of Spent Plants

Dead or spent plants can cause harm to your healthy awake and dormant plants. Instead clip them as close to the ground as you can or pull out and turn to mulch. Add leaves to your compost pile and aerate the soil a little one last time before winter sets in.

Almost every house here in El Paso Tx has enough room for a garden, but not every part of town provides good quality natural soil. If you have a home with lots of space but no good soil, I recommend doing a compost pile for sure. I don’t use anything in particular, but during the winter especially I use a corner of my backyard as a dedicated spot for this and I often toss it over to aerate it This helps the veggies and fruits keep those nutrients alive. It took me almost 4 years but I slowly converted my backyard from the dry red dirt to nice brown, healthy and lively soil – all thanks to my compost.

Make sure that you also check the window seals and or any exterior water line valve that may be slightly corroded, chances are that with the freezes we’re bound to have that they may not survive and you will end up dealing with an emergency. Replacing the water valves isn’t something too complicated and shouldn’t be too costly if you do it yourself. If you or someone you know needs some handyman help, don’t hesitate in letting me know as I am often volunteering my work to my community. Especially for those who can’t easily do it themselves.

I am part of a Facebook gardening group where we share gardening things and try to spread the love by trading plants amongst us. Join us by click here.

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