Turn Your Shed into a Garden for the Upcoming Winter!
When it comes to home improvement ideas, it’s a great thing that we can do many things ourselves, without having to rely on professional help. One of these great DIY ideas is turning your shed into a garden for the winter. It doesn’t take much space and work to do so, and it can mean a lot to your plants! To complete this project, read about the things you’ll have to do!
Give it a thorough sweep
To prepare your wonderful winter shed for your herbs, flowers, veggies and any flora you plan to cultivate, the first step is to give it a thorough sweep. Break the habit of using it for hoarding and remove all the garbage and anything that’s not garden-related. Be sure to remove the dead insects and leaves, twigs, dirt and other debris. You might not need a lot of space for your greenery, but it will be much easier for you if you get rid of unnecessary items so that you can use every inch of the shed for gardening only.
Make room for the gardening tools
The second step is making sure you are equipped with all the tools that you will need, so make room for a shovel, a spade, a hose, plant cages, sacks, etc. You will also need to clean all your gardening tools and equipment and organize everything well. You can get a spray bottle of water, some soap, a sponge, and a rag for cleaning the items. In addition, know that everything needs to be completely dry before you neatly arrange things in their corners. You can cover the tools with a tarp if you want to prevent dust from settling on them.
Apply weather stripping around the door
The third step is closing the door of your shed and running your fingers around its border. This can help you feel the air leaking through. If you feel it, get some weather stripping and apply it around the door. You can do this project completely by yourself and it takes less than 30 minutes. Furthermore, check your windows for leaks around the edges. If you have to, apply weather stripping there as well. If you prevent air and moisture from entering your shed you also prevent mildew from forming and tools from rusting, not to mention it will be more pleasant working in your shed without all those cold breezes blowing in on you.
Prepare your greenery for the winter
We know that with fall also comes the unavoidable slowing of activity in the garden. In your living area, perennials are probably blushing with color and dropping their leaves at the moment. You might want to clean up rotting and finished plants, remove invasive weeds, dig in soil amendments, sow cover crops, trim the perennials, divide and plant bulbs, harvest and regenerate your compost, replenish mulch, review the cultivars in your garden and sharpen your tools.
When talking about precautionary measures and what more you can do to protect your outdoor greenery from the cold, mulching with organic materials is a great start. You can also create a structure or cage around your plants. A chicken wire cage is good as a cold barrier for trunks when it’s filled with straw. Using twine to wrap tall shrubs, such as arborvitae is also a good idea. This can bring the limbs in closer so they won’t splay and break if snow builds up on them. Lastly, stakes are good for propping up horizontal limbs that can break if snow makes them too heavy.
As you can see, making a garden out of your shed is not difficult at all, you just need to take some time for cleaning, preparing the tools, applying weather stripping and establishing ways to protect your greenery from the elements. Now that you know all the steps, have fun while making your winter garden!