How do I prepare my veggie garden for winter?

Question

should I turn over the the plant matter like tomato, squash and beans plants into the soil to cover and compost .

my tomatoes are not sick are they not good to compost anyway?

Answer 1

No, remove and destroy all diseased plants, you do not need the sicknesses to come back next year.
If any of your plants are diseased, they should definitely NOT go in the compost. The pile must reach 160 degrees to kill those pathogens, and most piles don't, and of those that do, many will not have the diseased tomatoes in that section of heat. Failure to heat the pathogens incorporates them in the compost, and consequently, next year's garden soil.
I burn my plants and compost the ash. Others bag the spent plants and throw them out."
I hope it helps.

Answer 2

If you have any plant disease issues, the plants should be removed and disposed of, either by burning or in the trash. If not, you can compost in place your plant material by digging it under.

Now is the perfect time to add as much organic material as you can to your garden, also digging it is for the worms to work on over the winter. Planting a cover crop such as rye or hairy vetch will also help protect the soil.

One of our favorite items to cover the garden with is fallen leaves, mimicking nature. Once the beds are prepared, cover them with a good layer of leaves. They can be tilled under in the spring or raked off to be added to the compost pile during the summer months when you have an abundance of green material.

Visit our website for more soil improvement ideas at-
http://www.gardening-at-the-crossroads.com/soil-improvement.html

Good Luck and Happy Gardening from Cathy and Neal!

Answer 3

I am doing the same as what you asked with 6 raised beds. I am cutting off any seed heads first before turning the plant matter under.

Since I am on a farm surrounded by pasture & lots of birds etc. I am covering the beds with 4mil plastic for the winter to keep random weed seeds out & insulate the composting process while its still warm out now.

Its my first year with these beds but I hope this prep brings good healthy soil for Spring without hassle of weeds.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Yes. Till the garden now and add compost or manure. Adding manure now gives it time to work into the ground and not burn up plants. Be advised that cow manure is better than horse manure due to the digestive systems of the animals. Horse manure has more weed seeds in it.

Answer 5

remove all the plants,and put them in a compost bin,if they are healty.double dig your plot.what you do is dig out a trench,and leave soil to one side.then dig the next line into trench,carry on to the end,then put left over soil into trench at the end.cover with black plastic,and leave until spring;you will have no weeds or grass,just lovely clean soil.

Answer 6

Yes, turn it over and put dead leaves or shredded newspaper on top.