The weather this winter has been strange so far. Some warm days sprinkled into the cold, wet and dreary days. Are you looking for something to do in your garden on those nice days? Here are some helpful hints for you winter gardeners.
Garden Plants: Most evergreens, perennials, trees, shrubs and roses are safe to plant this time of year. You may want to avoid the tropical-type plants unless you can keep up with covering them on those nights that fall below 32 degrees. Nurseries are the best indicator of what is safe to plant. If the local nurseries stock them, they are likely okay to plant. This is also the best time of year to transplant if you have a plant or two in need of relocation.
Get Your Herb On!: Herbs such as, calendula, chervil, cilantro, chives, dill, parsley, feverfew, oregano, sorrel, thyme, garlic chives are all good to plant this time of year. Protect cilantro and chives in below freezing weather for a full harvest-able plant in spring.
Food Crops: Artichokes, asparagus, onions, greens, lettuce, spinach, radish, carrots, beets, bok choy, collards, kale, peas, turnips, leeks, broccoli are good to go! Prepare potatoes to plant in February. Get them now to cut and dry on counter or garage for a few weeks.
Fruit such as apples, peaches, pecans, pears, pomegranates, persimmons, figs, almonds, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries
Pruning Notes: This is the time to prune freeze-damaged perennials. If possible, leave as long as possible for wildlife shelter and food on seed-bearers. Prune woody salvias and similar plants as much as ⅔ to encourage new growth in spring, which is really right around the corner! Avoid heavy pruning on evergreen shrubs. Lastly, take advantage of these cold, cold temperatures to prune your mighty oaks to avoid Oak Wilt.
Enjoy the cool, and down right cold temperatures, while we got 'em. Spring and summer will be here will be here before you know. For some of you, this will be a welcome change. Hey, at least we live in the south.
Credit where credit is due: Information above was gathered from our friends at agrilifeextension.tamu.edu and klru.org/ctg
