As fall rolls in and the last of your veggie are harvest , you might be thinking it ’s time to permit your raised beds take a retentive winter snooze .
But before you put your horticulture tools away , there are some incredibly productive things you could do with those empty raised beds during fall and wintertime to set yourself up for success next spring .
These simple tone will not only protect and better your soil over the wintertime month but will also give your future tense plants a head start .
1.Plant Garlic in Your Raised Bed for a Mid-Summer Harvest
Garlic is a unadulterated prospect for descent planting , and raise layer offer the ideal surroundings for it to thrive . The well - drained soil in grow bed helps garlic grow potent roots without sitting in water , which can have rot .
Plant garlic Eugenia caryophyllatum in your empty produce bed from mid - September to November . Once they ’re tucked in , they ’ll base base before the land freeze , ensuring larger , tastier bulbs come summer .
Garlic is one of the few crops that benefit from overwintering in the soil , and your raised bed will keep them cozy through the cold months .
2.Sow Onions for Early Spring Growth
Like garlic , onions bed a head commence in fall . Onion set planted in a raise bottom will establish themselves over winter , quick to take off once spring arrives .
Raised layer warm up quicker than traditional garden beds , which yield your onions a growth advantage .
Simply nest the onion sets into the soil , mulch intemperately , and you ’ll have a healthy craw add up spring . The elevated bodily structure of raised bed also protect onions from being waterlogged in heavy wintertime rain or former bound snowmelt .
3.Grow Cool-Season Crops for Winter Harvests
Do n’t let those enhance beds sit empty when coolheaded - season crops like kale , spinach , and Swiss chard can thrive well into winter .
The great thing about raised layer is that they naturally debilitate redundant water , forestall root rot in wet conditions , which is ideal for growing fearless greens .
Use dustup cover charge or insensate frame to keep frost at bay , and mulch heavily around the works to isolate them . With a minute of protective covering , your raise beds can keep produce sassy super acid long after the first frost .
4.Plant Perennials for Early Establishment
Raised bed are an excellent place to plant comestible perennials such as asparagus , pieplant , and artichokes in the fall . Perennials establish advantageously when establish in the cooler months , and raise layer bring home the bacon the arrant environs for these plants to get their roots go down before wintertime fully set in .
Because raised beds warm up quicker in the fountain , your perennials will arouse up earlier and start bring on faster than those in traditional garden bed . Just be indisputable to mulch heavily after planting to protect them from freezing temperatures .
5.Enrich Your Raised Bed Soil with Compost or Manure
Fall is the everlasting time to replenish the land in your raised beds . After a long grow time of year , your soil will likely be depleted of key nutrient .
Adding a thick layer of compost , well - rotted manure , or leaf mould on top of your filth will feed the good microorganisms that populate in your raised beds and improve soil bodily structure .
In raised beds , organic matter breaks down faster because the filth incline to be warm and more active , even in the colder months . By springiness , you ’ll have rich , productive soil that ’s quick to support a fresh season of growth .
6.Sow Green Manures (Cover Crops) to Protect Your Soil
Do n’t let your raised beds go bare over winter — found a cover craw to protect and nourish the dirt . Green manure like clover , Medicago sativa , or rye whisky can be seed in dusk and will grow until the first knockout rime .
Cover crops are great for lift beds because they prevent erosion and compaction , which are mutual issue in raised bed during the off - season .
In spring , just chop up the dark-green manure down and permit it decompose in place , tot constituent thing and nitrogen back into the grime for your next round of crop .
7.Apply a Protective Mulch Layer for Winter
Before you close up workshop for the wintertime , give your raised beds a practiced blanket of mulch . Whether you ’re leaving them empty or planting overwinter crops , a thick layer of organic mulch like straw , leaves , or Natalie Wood chips will protect the dirt from erosion , observe moisture , and keep green goddess from taking over .
For empty raised bed , mulching also prevents the soil from freeze solid , which can make it easier to influence with come bound . Plus , as the mulch breaks down , it sum more organic cloth to your grime , observe it fertile and ready for planting .
Bonus Idea: Add Worms to Your Raised Bed for Healthier Soil
Here ’s a minuscule special tip : introducing worms to your raised beds in the fall can pressurize your territory .
worm will aerate the soil and break down constitutive matter over wintertime , leave you with a nutritious - rich bed that ’s quick to go when planting time of year rolls around .
Just be sure the temperature stays above freezing when you add them !
Your Raised Beds Can Keep Working for You All Winter
Do n’t allow your lift beds sit down groundless over the colder months . With a little fall prep , you may turn them into a power station of productiveness , set up the level for healthier plant and giving harvests next season .
Whether you ’re planting garlic , grow wintertime green , or enriching the soil with compost , these stone’s throw will ensure your raised beds are in top shape when give arrives .
well-chosen gardening !
