Mid February Blog

The Benefits of Cold Weather for Your Garden

As we all look out at sleet, ice and snow this week, I thought we could look at the bright side of cold weather and the benefits of it for your garden.

1.  More Energy for Plants in Spring

With the dormancy  that cold weather brings, plants conserve a great amount more energy in their roots than if  the weather remains mild. The root energy stored really helps plant leaves and flowers pop and grow vigorously in the Spring.

2. Seeds

Some seeds love cold weather. Cold weather helps them break their dormancy and germinate properly when warm weather comes.

3.  Pest control

Cold weather helps kill off harmful larva and eggs of unwanted pests like stink bugs!

4.  Soil improvement

Cold weather and thawing can help break up compacted soil improving drainage and aeration.

5.  Limbs and Trees snapping and falling

This can be looked at Mother Nature’s way of pruning. It’s important to make clean cuts a with hand or chain saw after the weather breaks to avoid disease from infiltrating the trees and shrubs at the breaking spot.

If it is too big a split like this photo below, it may be best to remove the tree.  It will have a really hard time recovering and decline over years.

Take heart. The ice and snow will move out soon. Nothing lasts forever, including bad weather.

Christie lives in Manakin Sabot , Virginia where she manages a 3 acre garden. Her blogs are written from her 35 years as a personal and professional gardener.