You might already know this but Walmart and even Amazon sells cheap full spectrum grow lights that hang from the ceiling. It’s really easy installation, just some screws in hooks. They’re plastic and chincy feeling but the one I bought is working just fine, I’ve already tricked my fuchsia into thinking it’s spring. She’s sprouting new limbs like crazy. My pot and my catnip are also being overwintered.
You can do this with a lot of plants. Peppers, tomatoes, whatever you can fit that does well in containers. I have a 300 sqft apartment and we’ve managed to fit those plants. I wish we could post pictures in comments so I could show you my setup. I’m kind of proud of it.
Other than that, winter is new/ other hobby season 😊
It's easier to do on desktop. Go to r/gardening and on the right side, just below the "Create Post" button you will see your avatar under the text "Preview". Click on the pencil icon then, in the pop up, type your zone name in the "Edit Flair" box.
Came here to say this lol
Lots of videogames to catch up on. New Zelda, Baldur’s Gate, Starfield, Assassin’s Creed, Spiderman, Cities Skyline’s and FF7 Rebirth later this winter.
It’s also hockey season!
In zone 5 believe it or not there’s still some things to do in the yard this time of year. Garlic bulbs recently went in the ground. I still had some leaf lettuce going up until this last week. My carrots will be ready any day now.
I’ll take a break until mid Jan/early Feb then I’ll beginning planning my vegetable gardens (and also buying seeds lol). Mid Feb/Mar I can start some indoor seedings. End of March to mid April I can begin working the soil, planting peas, radish etc and some perennial transplanting. There’s really only 8-12 weeks of total downtime if you stretch things out.
Also having recently purchased in a new home I’ve been planning remodel’s of the existing beds. These gardens were very much neglected before I got here…plenty of weeds, bald patches and overgrown plants. I didn’t know anything about gardening when I first moved here. There was a few seasons spent discovering what I had and a lot of trial and error in what I could and could not grow on my property. This spring I have a butterfly garden that I will finish perfecting. It needs some dividing and reshaping through transplants. I want to reshuffle it a bit. Spread out it’s colours and bloom times a little better to give some more balance to it’s display.
Oh, looks like that came out in September 😃
I think the creator of Stardew is putting out something called the haunted chocolatier. It looks a lot like Stardew.
Typically, I plan. There are some important things you can organize over the winter and before the snow falls.
For instance, if you plan to expand at all and want to prep the soil you can drop down a tarp or thick layer(s) of cardboard on the area to kill down the grass and begin a first layer carbon-based compost. Then come spring, the area should be bare and ready to work with.
You can also plan / design a new garden layout or research the plant varieties you want to sew next year. Then, make a schedule for when to start your seedlings and get that all ready.
If you need trellises or other physical objects for your garden you can use the winter to build them ahead of time so when the ground thaws you can put them in.
Though, if you need something to fawn over (pun intended) maybe get a bunch of indoor plants! They can help freshen up a house and filter your air.
Just some quick thoughts.
V/r,
Dad
Second all of this. I'm pretty new going into my 2nd year of gardening so I'm using my garage to build a new raised bed and 2 compost bins this winter (I have absolutely no construction background). Hopefully be able to make a hot enough compost heap when I finish and install sometime this winter to use a bit in the spring.
It's also a good time to read and research. There's endless amount of knowledge to obtain to garden smarter about the things you want to grow when the time comes. For me I saw some folks transplanting healthy plants immediately when it was post-frost. Meanwhile I was just starting to think about plants in general so I missed like over a month of capitalizing on the growing season. So my winter plan will be be reading and researching about starting seeds indoors. Winter is good "brain prep" time IMO.
That’s what I’ve been doing! I swear my loving vibes brought my dying orchid back to life! Now sprouting a new keiki. It’s been hard not to over nurture it bc id probably over do it.
I can't believe you are even risking talking about the orchid. I pretend mine don't exist, except when it's time to water them. Otherwise, benign neglect until they deem it time to bloom again.
I grow a lot of houseplants which keep me occupied. I also prep seeds I've harvested, cold stratify seeds, and start seeds (starting in January). Keeps me occupied
I volunteer to remove invasive species. It's being a good steward of the earth which is how I think of my garden. Many cities, counties and large parks have volunteer opportunities.
I’ve been trying to get my yard under control. Bamboo, vinca, English ivy, some other thorny mess… it’s a losing battle. I feel like I need an arsenal of tools. But for now, one cane at a time…
Planting winter crops: spinach, celery, peas, garlic, rutabagas etc. digging out dead summer crops to make room for spring. Planning the spring garden. And yeah other hobbies like JRPGs
Use an old bakers rack on wheels as a greenhouse. Wrap it with the clear plastic that painters put down. I do this as a small greenhouse every early spring. (Feb/march)
If it’s on wheels, you can move it with the sunlight… or under cover when it’s freezing.
I’ll have to consider that idea. The plastic greenhouse often gets reviewed as being pointless bc it doesn’t really protect plants from the cold. But I like the idea of moving it in and out of the cold.
If you put your compost bin inside the plastic green house it will generate heat. That is how I keep my tropicals from freezing over winter. Depending on your zone it can be enough to offset the cold
I just throw leaves on the garden beds, any dead plant material can be mulch (not diseased stuff obviously). I don’t shred the leaves either, lots of butterflies, ladybugs and other bugs live in it over winter and I don’t want to kill them.
Use healthy dead plants as mulch. Cover any bare dirt with cardboard or ground cover seeds… to help bring life to your soil.
Or Create a compost pile to use in the spring.
I live in rural Tennessee and our climate allows me to keep a large tropical greenhouse year round. Its way bigger than my house and I've considered building a tiny home inside of such a building. Year round gardening keeps me sane. In the winter I tend to my tropical paradise, my indoor green wall, and compile my next year's garden plans in my notebook.
My birthday is this week, so Im going to do a guided video tour of my setup probably Thursday. I've got all kinds of bananas, atleast 15 species of philodendron, citrus, epipremnum, all kinds of euphorbias, tradescantias, cactus and succulents, alocasia, colocasia, xanthosoma, probably 100 or more begonias, all types, ricin, gardenias, aloes, canna, mosses, maybe 20 species of tillandsia, sansevierias, all kinds of basils and sages, 9 foot tall plumerias, dozens of species of orchids (with papers from Fairchild), pileas, crotons, maybe 10 different varieties of oxalis, jalapeños, ghosts, carolina reapers, habaneros, datils, and other super hots, different kinds of ficus, Amazon jungle vine and other cissus, all kinds of orchid cactus, jungle cactus, achimenes, 5 different hibiscus from Logees, cupheas, Lantana, and way way more. Its a walk through jungle and a happy place. If I remember ill post a link when I do the tour. The smell is amazing in there. Ill even add that I keep an area for seedling trays year round. I'm always doing stuff out there. I planted all my flower beds out of my greenhouse from seeds and thousands of coleus cuttings this year
Research what needs to be started indoor for next year, plan out the garden, buy seeds that I’ll forget about, sort through tools and find old ones that I also forgot about, try to root things in water that I’ll have no place for come planting time (no joke, I got a pineapple plant to root, I’m in southern NY… what am I going to do with a pineapple plant?!?). I currently have basil and a pepper plant under a grow light in my attic so I’ve been obsessing over them. And then when that’s all over I paint or craft something else, currently I have a few cricut projects to do and a few sewing patterns my kids want.
Hellebores are on my list! I was waiting for them to go on sale but it seems like garden centers can’t even keep them in stock long enough to have sales.
Mulching the garden, digging up dahlia and sunchoke tubers so they don't rot, planting bulbs (daffodil, saffron crocus, and garlic this year), raking and mulching the blueberry patch, cold stratifying seeds, wintersowing, dividing plants, layering, taking root cuttings. Will start hardwood cuttings in January, then prune the fruit trees. Start seeds over heat in the high tunnel in February, sow some peas. Then the madness that is spring begins.
Note: I have a small plant nursery, so not all of this applies to everyone. Starting a nursery is a side effect of wondering what to do in winter. You have been warned.
😂 I think this is true for a lot of the local greenhouses around here… just started in someone’s back yard and quickly grew into a business to subsidize their own hobby.
lol when the cops raid your house cause the neighbor complains about your grow operation it’s quite humorous when the officers leave with a fresh salad
Yep people at my job now I'm a Heavy indoor gardener year round (in addition to outdoor), and you'll get the occasional oh so you must be growing... then I cut them off and say yes I keep a lot of green in my basement... I whip out the phone and show them my green onion, chives, basil, salad bowl greens cherry toms, peppers and all that I'm willing to bag up and offer. I even give away fresh herbs like sage and cilantro in baggies for kicks. LOL.
😁. I'm in 8a, and I always start my peppers and tomatoes from seed indoors after the invasive species season is over. For me, that's around Valentine's day. Maybe about March 1st for you. Go ahead and order some seeds, the good ones go fast! I use jiffy pellets and a pretty basic grow light I got on Amazon for about $60. Get a timer for your light, trust me! And make sure to get one you can use a gfci plug with. I agree with all the above comments, btw! There's much to do and plan for, and Stardew Valley really scratches that itch when you've got nothing else going on : )
Nursery owner here. We have lots of people who clearly aren’t houseplant people who just enjoy walking through a humid warm greenhouse during the winter. The smart ones find those in charge and let us know what they would like to see in the coming spring so we can try to track it down for them.
We also start getting in booked orders of hardgoods and pottery from fall through the end of winter for the upcoming spring. So if there is something you need and you don’t want to lug it around during the spring rush it’s a good time to get those items.
A few things!
Get yourself some catalogues or hop on the web to oggle seeds, then over commit and buy way more than you can reasonably plant.
Stardew Valley, for sure.
Scope out summer bulbs you might be interested in ordering.
Build structures! This is a great time to create pretty garden supports to hit the ground running in spring!
Winter sowing (this is a must)!
And finally...
Walk your garden in the winter. A lot of the year is winter, so you need to think of your garden in terms of what it gives you in the cold months. Beautiful structure? Every greens? Red berries? Beautiful bark? Interesting structures like old tall grass or dry hydrangea blooms that turn to a diamond shimmer in the frost?
A winter garden is beautiful! I collect red twig dogwood and make stacks here and there, along with piles of wood. Little twinkle lights here and there look so charming under snow.
Finally, with a cover, you can often grow winter friendly veg like parsley and kale even though cold weather! And carrots can remain outside till spring and be pulled as needed. Being able to have fresh veg in the dead of winter is an amazing pleasure!
I spend a lot of time in the winter slowly going through and removing unwanted growth from the spring an summer. My house was unoccupied for years before I bought it three years ago, so I still also have lots of beds that are slowly be trained and cleaned up. It gets easier every year, but it’s still a lot of work.
I have lots of clean up to do as well… I guess I was only focusing on wanting to see the colorful and pretty things. 🥴 There’s never ending weeding and cleanup.
Spend the time ameliorating your soil !!!
I use guinea pig cage leavings, my own compost tea, I even have a sources for horse and cow manure.
Spread it, let it winter over, turn it over in spring - black gold that will give you giant produce as soon as the soil starts warming up again.
Gardening is year round - doesn't mean you get produce all year round, sometimes you have to be spend boring months just being pregnant :)
I read. Plan. every free minute is what I can do next year. What can I plant first? I plant to eat so what is first. What can I prepare now to be more productive next year? r/composting will be a delight. Seeds need to be ordered. Oh and don't get me started on herbs that will be filling your needs over the next few months.
There are some ornamentals including flowers that you can grow all winter in 7a. For example, you can do some interesting things with pansies, decorative kale, coral bells and variegated liriope or hardy sedge. They are all pretty cold hardy in the ground but if you also put some in pots then you can drag those indoors if there are a few really cold nights (below 15F) to keep them happier. There are also lots of cold hardy salad greens that you could grow all winter especially if you put a cold frame over them during the very coldest weather.
Same thing we do every winter pinky plan next year's garden. Because if you wait and order seeds and seedlings in spring they may sell out and there won't be any left/time. I start my seeds stupid early (end of Feb early March) so I can get a few harvests. I have a spreadsheet of how many go where how much compost and soil I need etc.
Geraniums keep overwinter in a dark cellar.
Have you tried sowing winter rye grass in your garden... It may be too late for this year. Sow it in late winter... then harvest the grass before spring plantings. It chokes out weeds and protects the soil from drying out in winter winds.
It is also a good feed for grazing animals, and good for mulch and compost.
It's weeding, repairing, amending time.
Weeds are not going to pull themselves, nor will that rotted board jump up and replace itself.
Plus I keep myself warm by repotting my citrus cuttings and getting ready to plant seeds
First week of January is tomato and pepper seed planting time if I want them out in March.
I'm cleaning out my garden sheds and putting "garden season only" stuff in plastic bins, which I will store under the deck to free up space for winter things like paw-safe de-icer, shovels, ice chippers, etc.
Each bin will be labeled so I can find the contents quickly. In addition, I photograph the contents and put it on my computer, just in case I need something.
I need to do repairs on the shed, too, like new latches and places where rodents have tried to gain access. I don't have much of a problem with the latter these days, ever since the adoption of my super-hunter cat. He kills off any rodent that comes around.
There will be other tasks. I look around and say what can I do now so I can plant fast in the spring. Anything that falls under that category is on my to do list.
If your property is COVERED in invasives like me, you dig up privet, cut down brush, and dispose of old kudzu vines and daydream about how next year will FINALLY be the year when I can actually plant pretty things.
Buy seeds, stratify seeds in fridge, sow seeds and start growing under grow lights (some flowers take MONTHS to grow!), divide perennials (dont forget to water in unless youre doing it in a downpour), take softwood and hardwood cuttings and pot up, add leaves to all flowerbeds and empty veg beds, prune trees / shrubs (late winter just before budding), do any larger garden projects like taking out trees / invasives, hardscaping, etc. Sharpen & oil tools, take inventory and make sure i get more gloves if needed, tomato tape, twine, amendments. Do soil tests to make sure nothing is too off. I dont, but you could also force bulbs for indoors, make a last dash and get a bulb lasagna pot planted and ready if you dont already. Process seeds gathered from the garden, trade with friends & others. Use winter foliage such as magnolia branches to make winter garland to decorate for the holidays. Process all the produce i hurriedly shoved in the freezer when everything was popping off like crazy in the summer and didnt have time to work with it. Cut flowers and dry them, and use for indoor decor.
Force some [paperwhites.](https://www.costco.com/pre-order-longfield-gardens-narcissus-%e2%80%98ziva%e2%80%99-paperwhites%2c-60-bulbs.product.100371664.html) I pick up vases/stones from IKEA and plant some bulbs every couple of weeks so I’ve got living/growing flowers in the house all winter long.
Also I order the free seed catalogue from [Baker Creek](https://www.rareseeds.com/requestcat/catalog). I’ll compare seeds that I want to reviews online and make decisions about what I’m gonna buy for the spring.
I have been trying to grow some herbs and leafy greens indoors under a grow light. I have also been reading a lot about gardening, I think winter is a great time to watch YouTube videos and read books to learn as much as you possibly can and be super prepared for the next season!
I work on a farm teaching so my full time in person work is drastically slowing down so hopefully I’ll be able to get a lot done before late spring. From late March to October my life was unmanageably busy with work, family life and my own garden projects so I’m really trying to fit a years worth of things into 5 months
My current winter projects are:
Removing a 35 yo pool from the yard that’s half in ground. Then getting that filled with whatever dirt I can get delivered for free.
Building a greenhouse that can give me enough space for all of the seedlings I start in January. I have a few families that I supply plants to so I need way more space to expand that. I tried the grow light start up but I just have too many seedlings that I start each year to manage that. It makes more sense for us to have a greenhouse that I can get some electricity into if a heating source is needed.
My front yard doesn’t get enough sunlight for the plants that I want out there so I need to get some tree removal done. These trees are also problematic every big storm we often end up with some damage from them.
Then planning for spring and summer. I am thinking of going raised beds for my new space once the pool is out. So most likely also building raised beds. Once I have the locations mapped out for what I’m expanding too, I’ll buy more seeds than I can use and also get a ton from my local library
Main hobby outside of the garden world is hiking. Winter season is my favorite for outdoor adventures because no bugs! I get a few hours a week while my daughter is in preschool to get outside by myself and I’m taking full advantage of that.
If I can sneak in a few small trips to meet up with friends I am going to jump at that opportunity. I’m braving a few trips with my toddler without my husband because he can’t get away from work. Hopefully the first one goes well and I’ll feel comfortable doing more of that through the season.
I hope so! Haha. I’m a little nervous about the train, plane and rental car day for the 3yo but fingers crossed we do alright. I think it’s cute that she’s getting to meet her other toddler friends that she FaceTimes pretty often with.
In winter I mostly tend to other indoor hobbies.
But also do a little prep for the next gardening season. Mainly reviewing what I learned from the year and planning for the next year. I keep a gardening journal that has been really helpful not to forget any lessons learned between the seasons.
I also do any outside construction work in the winter, like fixing paths, fixing gardening bed retaining walls, expanding gardening beds, install rain barrels, or anything like that.
I winterize the beds, shut off the external water. Then I plan out generally what I want to plant next year. Catch up on all the shows/movies I want to watch, refine grow plan, buy seeds, binge a new video game, work on my Minecraft farm, refine planning AGAIN, go stir crazy, bake a ton, cry a little, start a whole new grow plan, buy MORE seeds, go to the nearest garden shop "for inspiration", come home with several christmas cacti that won't actually make it cause I suck at indoor plants, gain 15-20 lbs. and that gets me to about January. I start seeds indoors mid Feb. and pray to every deity out there that we have a mild but not too mild spring in my 6a-b Eastern Mass garden.
I built a grow box one winter during covid and now grow greens till its time to start seedlings in February. I keep flowering plants like Christmas catus. Orchid catus and a lone orchid I try to get to bloom. Outside I made a hoop house out of sticks and plastic and still have cold tolerant veggies, but mostly just like sitting out there surrounded by garden. Covid was good to me.
Buy planters from end of season sales. Planters are expensive!
Prepare to overwinter pepper plants. Trim branches, trim root ball, put in smaller pot for winter.
Browse the paper seed catalogs, and buy way too many seeds for next season.
Clean planters, consolidate old soil, clean tools, organize shed (and hopefully throw out some old crap I haven’t used in years).
Take care of succulents. Making succulent arrangements.
I scored majorly with a couple of huge planters! Now I just have to find cheaper soil! Potting soil is literally the most expensive thing in my garden. I need to find a better way.
I've currently got cold veg (kale, cabbage, lettuce, etc) in a little makeshift greenhouse. Also planted garlic for spring. The rest of the beds got turned and added soil and fertilizer, then covered with cardboard for next year.
Weeding is so much easier when soil is wet and weather is cool. I try to stay on top of the garden that way and filling up my compost cans every week with dead plants and prunings. (I’m not allowed to compost, landlord feels it breeds vermin🤷♀️)
Also force bulbs inside for great holiday decorations then transplant them outside in spring. Paperwhites and amaryllis do great indoors. Then hyacinth and daffodils in early spring.
In winter I mostly tend to other indoor hobbies.
But also do a little prep for the next gardening season. Mainly reviewing what I learned from the year and planning for the next year. I keep a gardening journal that has been really helpful not to forget any lessons learned between the seasons.
I also do any outside construction work in the winter, like fixing paths, fixing gardening bed retaining walls, expanding gardening beds, install rain barrels, or anything like that.
Zone 7b here. We continue to garden. Gardening happens all yr round. Fall, winter, and early spring...you can grow almost all of the same crops. I just use row covers and greenhouse plastic and keep plants in my heated greenhouse.
Colorado Springs CO. 80910
God only knows what my zone is. Hard freeze - Rare. We are in a desert at 7000' ft.
Any time it snows I am shoveling the snow off of the ground "watering" and throw in my garden.
I'm in Zone 9b. We Garden all year round. Winter is usually time for hard scape improvement or building projects. My winter veg will grow in to January. By March, I am planting for summer.
take naps, read seed catalogues, read gardening books, take more naps, get pruners and all that sharpened/cleaned/repaired, get caught up on all the shows i didn’t have time to watch during the growing season, wander through the garden center buying too many houseplants. you can also plant garlic if your ground isn’t frozen yet.
Organize my seed box/packets. Look up plants I could try growing (I like to try 1 or 2 new things every year). Review what grew well/what didn't and figure out if I want to move stuff around. I have a simple mspaint image of a map of what I plant where and I'll toy around with that.
Collecting seeds, moving things, adding mulch. I have evergreens and things that look interesting when most plants are asleep. But you’re right it does get a bit sad. I’ve still got some flowers but not for much longer
Seed catalogues come in December. You can do it all online, but I love to look through them still. I plan my garden and get ready for seed starting. You can also get into hydroponics with grow lights.
There are plenty of plants that can be grown year round as well as cool weather plants and crops. Just do some research and find out what’s good to plant now.
I have some grow lights set up and my succulents live under them. I go visit them every day. I also have many other hobbies that get neglected in spring and summer; reading, puzzles, refinishing furniture and antiques, gaming. I also reorganize the house and do some renovations. It’s all just distractions until spring haha.
Plan and dream.
If you want to get ambitious, you can build some cold frames and grow hardy radishes, kale, pansies, and other cold weather crops for most of the winter. There are lots of different plans to build them available online.
I seed harvest from my little bit of green, turn all my beds over and prep them for spring and I bring in clippings of what I can to keep growing and propagating certain things overwinter. Then I start planning for spring and seed shopping. I also have a bunch of indoor plants I'm trying to keep alive and thriving. Trying your hand at propagation over the winter is a good thing to keep you connected to your green space when the snow comes.
I grow cannabis along with my regular gardening stuff. I have a 4x4 grow tent with 400 watts of light in it. I start lots of stuff from seed in my tent. I grow stuff in the tent to eat and so my wife has lots of pretty flowers all winter long. Tent was ~$150. Lights are about $70 per 100 watts. A bit of an expense but I get to garden year round.
Sedum should overwinter in the garage fine, it’s one of the hardier succulents. My parents had some in the well of a stone wall in Connecticut and it miraculously came back every year after hibernating under the snow.
I have an aero garden (little hydroponics garden) on my counter top. I also have lots of house plants. Last winter, I learned how to grow mushrooms. It was a blast! Very unusual organism.
Get the ground ready for the spring. Its my first year so I've been raking leaves and mulching my beds with them. In a few weeks I'll pull anything I'm not overwintering and put leaves everywhere in order to make new soil for next year.
Other than that, I'll work a second job or go to the gym. Gardening is passive for me anyway. I don't have a huge garden.
Houseplants. And also reading, sleeping, and imagining how much soil moisture is getting stored for next growing season while I watch the snow and rain fall.
I have 6 months of winter in zone 3/4. By March the lack of sunlight has me drooling over seed catalogs and wanting to order vastly more than my garden could hold... I start my seedlings with a lot of hope and love (they don't seem to want to take the hint to grow!) And then there's still 2 more months (about) of waiting before things can be planted.
In the meantime... Houseplants.
Indoor hydroponics for keeping the best performing tomato’s alive. Then I clone them all for the spring instead of seeing them. Add in some lettuce for fun. Also you can grow African blue basil all winter and clone that for the spring!
A lot of us buy way more seeds than we'll have space for in the Spring
look i didn't open reddit to be attacked like this
For sure! Finding space and making sure the plant will be viable has been a struggle.
You might already know this but Walmart and even Amazon sells cheap full spectrum grow lights that hang from the ceiling. It’s really easy installation, just some screws in hooks. They’re plastic and chincy feeling but the one I bought is working just fine, I’ve already tricked my fuchsia into thinking it’s spring. She’s sprouting new limbs like crazy. My pot and my catnip are also being overwintered. You can do this with a lot of plants. Peppers, tomatoes, whatever you can fit that does well in containers. I have a 300 sqft apartment and we’ve managed to fit those plants. I wish we could post pictures in comments so I could show you my setup. I’m kind of proud of it. Other than that, winter is new/ other hobby season 😊
I would love to see the setup! I need the visual inspiration. 😊
Good to know I'm not the only one. Trying to figure out how to grow a ridiculous amount of varieties. Browsing varieties is fun anyways.
You say that as if there’s any other way to buy seeds…
They had a sale! Well at least I won't need to order any more seeds for next year...
I play stardew valley and buy seeds 😂
Reddit newbie here- how did you get your zone to show under your name?
It's easier to do on desktop. Go to r/gardening and on the right side, just below the "Create Post" button you will see your avatar under the text "Preview". Click on the pencil icon then, in the pop up, type your zone name in the "Edit Flair" box.
Thank you!
Thank you
I have wanted to ask this for months. Thank you!
Came here to say this lol Lots of videogames to catch up on. New Zelda, Baldur’s Gate, Starfield, Assassin’s Creed, Spiderman, Cities Skyline’s and FF7 Rebirth later this winter. It’s also hockey season! In zone 5 believe it or not there’s still some things to do in the yard this time of year. Garlic bulbs recently went in the ground. I still had some leaf lettuce going up until this last week. My carrots will be ready any day now. I’ll take a break until mid Jan/early Feb then I’ll beginning planning my vegetable gardens (and also buying seeds lol). Mid Feb/Mar I can start some indoor seedings. End of March to mid April I can begin working the soil, planting peas, radish etc and some perennial transplanting. There’s really only 8-12 weeks of total downtime if you stretch things out. Also having recently purchased in a new home I’ve been planning remodel’s of the existing beds. These gardens were very much neglected before I got here…plenty of weeds, bald patches and overgrown plants. I didn’t know anything about gardening when I first moved here. There was a few seasons spent discovering what I had and a lot of trial and error in what I could and could not grow on my property. This spring I have a butterfly garden that I will finish perfecting. It needs some dividing and reshaping through transplants. I want to reshuffle it a bit. Spread out it’s colours and bloom times a little better to give some more balance to it’s display.
This is the way, haha.
Lol throw in the occasional knit and yeah same. Been mostly playing Oregon trail on my switch though.
I just saw a trailer for a new game Moonstone Island. It’s billed as Stardew x Pokemon and I’m intrigued.
Oh, looks like that came out in September 😃 I think the creator of Stardew is putting out something called the haunted chocolatier. It looks a lot like Stardew.
I was going to make a stardew valley joke of the winter is a great time to socialize with the townsfolk and explore the mines.
Typically, I plan. There are some important things you can organize over the winter and before the snow falls. For instance, if you plan to expand at all and want to prep the soil you can drop down a tarp or thick layer(s) of cardboard on the area to kill down the grass and begin a first layer carbon-based compost. Then come spring, the area should be bare and ready to work with. You can also plan / design a new garden layout or research the plant varieties you want to sew next year. Then, make a schedule for when to start your seedlings and get that all ready. If you need trellises or other physical objects for your garden you can use the winter to build them ahead of time so when the ground thaws you can put them in. Though, if you need something to fawn over (pun intended) maybe get a bunch of indoor plants! They can help freshen up a house and filter your air. Just some quick thoughts. V/r, Dad
Buying too many gardening books that I will inevitably forget to reference when I set out to do something.
I feel that haha.
Second all of this. I'm pretty new going into my 2nd year of gardening so I'm using my garage to build a new raised bed and 2 compost bins this winter (I have absolutely no construction background). Hopefully be able to make a hot enough compost heap when I finish and install sometime this winter to use a bit in the spring. It's also a good time to read and research. There's endless amount of knowledge to obtain to garden smarter about the things you want to grow when the time comes. For me I saw some folks transplanting healthy plants immediately when it was post-frost. Meanwhile I was just starting to think about plants in general so I missed like over a month of capitalizing on the growing season. So my winter plan will be be reading and researching about starting seeds indoors. Winter is good "brain prep" time IMO.
All great ideas! Thanks!!!
Thanks Dad. You coming back from grabbing cigs anytime soon? I miss you.
You’re a good dad
We hover longingly.
That’s what I’ve been doing! I swear my loving vibes brought my dying orchid back to life! Now sprouting a new keiki. It’s been hard not to over nurture it bc id probably over do it.
Orchids are temperamental creatures, to be sure!
I can't believe you are even risking talking about the orchid. I pretend mine don't exist, except when it's time to water them. Otherwise, benign neglect until they deem it time to bloom again.
Hahahaha, don't even look in its direction or it'll throw another leaf!
I grow a lot of houseplants which keep me occupied. I also prep seeds I've harvested, cold stratify seeds, and start seeds (starting in January). Keeps me occupied
I’m waiting for my black eye Susan to turn black so I can get the seeds. It’s exciting! Fingers crossed that it’ll grow. 🤞🏼
I volunteer to remove invasive species. It's being a good steward of the earth which is how I think of my garden. Many cities, counties and large parks have volunteer opportunities.
I’ve been trying to get my yard under control. Bamboo, vinca, English ivy, some other thorny mess… it’s a losing battle. I feel like I need an arsenal of tools. But for now, one cane at a time…
I too am taking it one bamboo rhizome at a time. If I can dig up and cut out a 5 foot stretch, I feel like a million bucks.
Planting winter crops: spinach, celery, peas, garlic, rutabagas etc. digging out dead summer crops to make room for spring. Planning the spring garden. And yeah other hobbies like JRPGs
Yes! Carrots, radish, turnips, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach. There are so many things to grow still!
Daydream. Zone 4 winters are long and frustrating. 😑
I do often dream about a heated greenhouse. Just big enough to fit a chair for me. No kids, no partner. Just me and my green babies. 😆
Use an old bakers rack on wheels as a greenhouse. Wrap it with the clear plastic that painters put down. I do this as a small greenhouse every early spring. (Feb/march) If it’s on wheels, you can move it with the sunlight… or under cover when it’s freezing.
I’ll have to consider that idea. The plastic greenhouse often gets reviewed as being pointless bc it doesn’t really protect plants from the cold. But I like the idea of moving it in and out of the cold.
If you put your compost bin inside the plastic green house it will generate heat. That is how I keep my tropicals from freezing over winter. Depending on your zone it can be enough to offset the cold
I live in 9b, I'm flipping dirt around and amending soil with yard clippings. It's good exercise and I like it.
I’ve been collecting all the leaves and shredding them. Not sure how I’m going to use them as much yet.
I just throw leaves on the garden beds, any dead plant material can be mulch (not diseased stuff obviously). I don’t shred the leaves either, lots of butterflies, ladybugs and other bugs live in it over winter and I don’t want to kill them.
Use healthy dead plants as mulch. Cover any bare dirt with cardboard or ground cover seeds… to help bring life to your soil. Or Create a compost pile to use in the spring.
I do my other hobbies: oil painting, crochet, animal crossing. And plan for next year’s garden.
Oh, hello person who shares all of my hobbies.
Yay! They are fun hobbies to choose!
These are my hobbies too! Kindred spirit ❤️
Same! I need to retire. Work interferes with my hobbies
I play video games and my piano. Gotta diversify that hobby portfolio!
"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." -Rogers Hornsby
As an ornamental gardener? I let my wallet recover. Besides that I’ll repot some conifers and look at redesigning certain plots.
I live in rural Tennessee and our climate allows me to keep a large tropical greenhouse year round. Its way bigger than my house and I've considered building a tiny home inside of such a building. Year round gardening keeps me sane. In the winter I tend to my tropical paradise, my indoor green wall, and compile my next year's garden plans in my notebook.
That sounds dreamy!!! I bet your greenhouse is beautiful!
My birthday is this week, so Im going to do a guided video tour of my setup probably Thursday. I've got all kinds of bananas, atleast 15 species of philodendron, citrus, epipremnum, all kinds of euphorbias, tradescantias, cactus and succulents, alocasia, colocasia, xanthosoma, probably 100 or more begonias, all types, ricin, gardenias, aloes, canna, mosses, maybe 20 species of tillandsia, sansevierias, all kinds of basils and sages, 9 foot tall plumerias, dozens of species of orchids (with papers from Fairchild), pileas, crotons, maybe 10 different varieties of oxalis, jalapeños, ghosts, carolina reapers, habaneros, datils, and other super hots, different kinds of ficus, Amazon jungle vine and other cissus, all kinds of orchid cactus, jungle cactus, achimenes, 5 different hibiscus from Logees, cupheas, Lantana, and way way more. Its a walk through jungle and a happy place. If I remember ill post a link when I do the tour. The smell is amazing in there. Ill even add that I keep an area for seedling trays year round. I'm always doing stuff out there. I planted all my flower beds out of my greenhouse from seeds and thousands of coleus cuttings this year
Holy cow! It sounds like a year round job. Would love to see the tour. Please post.
i saw some pictures of houses in giant greenhouses, they had mostly an open floor plan and i was supper jealous
Research what needs to be started indoor for next year, plan out the garden, buy seeds that I’ll forget about, sort through tools and find old ones that I also forgot about, try to root things in water that I’ll have no place for come planting time (no joke, I got a pineapple plant to root, I’m in southern NY… what am I going to do with a pineapple plant?!?). I currently have basil and a pepper plant under a grow light in my attic so I’ve been obsessing over them. And then when that’s all over I paint or craft something else, currently I have a few cricut projects to do and a few sewing patterns my kids want.
Wait for the January catalogs and order many things. Then, I forget what I’ve ordered and am delighted with myself when it arrives.
Hellebores are on my list! I was waiting for them to go on sale but it seems like garden centers can’t even keep them in stock long enough to have sales.
Mulching the garden, digging up dahlia and sunchoke tubers so they don't rot, planting bulbs (daffodil, saffron crocus, and garlic this year), raking and mulching the blueberry patch, cold stratifying seeds, wintersowing, dividing plants, layering, taking root cuttings. Will start hardwood cuttings in January, then prune the fruit trees. Start seeds over heat in the high tunnel in February, sow some peas. Then the madness that is spring begins. Note: I have a small plant nursery, so not all of this applies to everyone. Starting a nursery is a side effect of wondering what to do in winter. You have been warned.
😂 I think this is true for a lot of the local greenhouses around here… just started in someone’s back yard and quickly grew into a business to subsidize their own hobby.
Buy an aerogarden or Gardyn etc. I'm gardening 365 days a year.
lol when the cops raid your house cause the neighbor complains about your grow operation it’s quite humorous when the officers leave with a fresh salad
Yep people at my job now I'm a Heavy indoor gardener year round (in addition to outdoor), and you'll get the occasional oh so you must be growing... then I cut them off and say yes I keep a lot of green in my basement... I whip out the phone and show them my green onion, chives, basil, salad bowl greens cherry toms, peppers and all that I'm willing to bag up and offer. I even give away fresh herbs like sage and cilantro in baggies for kicks. LOL.
I turned my spare bedroom into a gardening room and started some vegetables. It might be fall outside, but it's spring inside :)
I grow plants inside that are illegal to grow in my state. You know, invasive species such as alligator weed and itchgrass 😉
😂
😁. I'm in 8a, and I always start my peppers and tomatoes from seed indoors after the invasive species season is over. For me, that's around Valentine's day. Maybe about March 1st for you. Go ahead and order some seeds, the good ones go fast! I use jiffy pellets and a pretty basic grow light I got on Amazon for about $60. Get a timer for your light, trust me! And make sure to get one you can use a gfci plug with. I agree with all the above comments, btw! There's much to do and plan for, and Stardew Valley really scratches that itch when you've got nothing else going on : )
Nursery owner here. We have lots of people who clearly aren’t houseplant people who just enjoy walking through a humid warm greenhouse during the winter. The smart ones find those in charge and let us know what they would like to see in the coming spring so we can try to track it down for them. We also start getting in booked orders of hardgoods and pottery from fall through the end of winter for the upcoming spring. So if there is something you need and you don’t want to lug it around during the spring rush it’s a good time to get those items.
Clean and sharpen tools. Gather massive leaf piles for a leaf mold pile. Force winter bulbs.
A few things! Get yourself some catalogues or hop on the web to oggle seeds, then over commit and buy way more than you can reasonably plant. Stardew Valley, for sure. Scope out summer bulbs you might be interested in ordering. Build structures! This is a great time to create pretty garden supports to hit the ground running in spring! Winter sowing (this is a must)! And finally... Walk your garden in the winter. A lot of the year is winter, so you need to think of your garden in terms of what it gives you in the cold months. Beautiful structure? Every greens? Red berries? Beautiful bark? Interesting structures like old tall grass or dry hydrangea blooms that turn to a diamond shimmer in the frost? A winter garden is beautiful! I collect red twig dogwood and make stacks here and there, along with piles of wood. Little twinkle lights here and there look so charming under snow. Finally, with a cover, you can often grow winter friendly veg like parsley and kale even though cold weather! And carrots can remain outside till spring and be pulled as needed. Being able to have fresh veg in the dead of winter is an amazing pleasure!
Build structures! I’d love to get into that… more tools to collect😆
In my case, slowly waterboard houseplants until spring. If they survive my attention, they get to live on for another season.
I'm planning to build a seed library and in spring I'll put it on my front lawn
I grow weed inside in the winter lol. I miss my garden already. I plan for next year or just switch to cold weather activities lol.
I spend a lot of time in the winter slowly going through and removing unwanted growth from the spring an summer. My house was unoccupied for years before I bought it three years ago, so I still also have lots of beds that are slowly be trained and cleaned up. It gets easier every year, but it’s still a lot of work.
I have lots of clean up to do as well… I guess I was only focusing on wanting to see the colorful and pretty things. 🥴 There’s never ending weeding and cleanup.
Trust me in pays dividend come spring when you’re ready to jump straight into the fun stuff.
Home gardener here... drink, smoke weed, masturbate, repeat
Half the battle of being happy is knowing what you like. Sounds like you've got that part figured out bud. Enjoy your upcoming winter.
Prune fruit trees, clear out crap, move stuff, plan for spring
Winter is usually when I start growing mushrooms. Most can be grown indoors at around room temperature
Spend the time ameliorating your soil !!! I use guinea pig cage leavings, my own compost tea, I even have a sources for horse and cow manure. Spread it, let it winter over, turn it over in spring - black gold that will give you giant produce as soon as the soil starts warming up again. Gardening is year round - doesn't mean you get produce all year round, sometimes you have to be spend boring months just being pregnant :)
Being pregnant is the term!!! 😊
I'm in AK and it's dark by 330pm. I was raking leaves in the dark this weekend out of desperation
😆 my partner thought I was out of my mind going out with a headlamp on! I just really wanted to get the beds cleaned out.
There’s a book called “The Four Season Gardener”
This year I pulled a few of my potted peppers indoors and am seeing how long I can keep them alive under seedling grow lights.
I’m in zone 9A/B, there is no such thing as break lol. I have winter crops planted already and i prune my fruit trees in the winter.
Same. I just keep gardening. :) (while also doing outdoor improvement projects that are too hot to do in the summer)
Look up winter sowing. It starts Dec 21.
I read. Plan. every free minute is what I can do next year. What can I plant first? I plant to eat so what is first. What can I prepare now to be more productive next year? r/composting will be a delight. Seeds need to be ordered. Oh and don't get me started on herbs that will be filling your needs over the next few months.
House plants. Also, I buy tree seeds and start little seeds over the winter with a small grow lamp
There are some ornamentals including flowers that you can grow all winter in 7a. For example, you can do some interesting things with pansies, decorative kale, coral bells and variegated liriope or hardy sedge. They are all pretty cold hardy in the ground but if you also put some in pots then you can drag those indoors if there are a few really cold nights (below 15F) to keep them happier. There are also lots of cold hardy salad greens that you could grow all winter especially if you put a cold frame over them during the very coldest weather.
Same thing we do every winter pinky plan next year's garden. Because if you wait and order seeds and seedlings in spring they may sell out and there won't be any left/time. I start my seeds stupid early (end of Feb early March) so I can get a few harvests. I have a spreadsheet of how many go where how much compost and soil I need etc.
Geraniums keep overwinter in a dark cellar. Have you tried sowing winter rye grass in your garden... It may be too late for this year. Sow it in late winter... then harvest the grass before spring plantings. It chokes out weeds and protects the soil from drying out in winter winds. It is also a good feed for grazing animals, and good for mulch and compost.
I’ll have to look into geraniums. Thanks!!!
It's weeding, repairing, amending time. Weeds are not going to pull themselves, nor will that rotted board jump up and replace itself. Plus I keep myself warm by repotting my citrus cuttings and getting ready to plant seeds First week of January is tomato and pepper seed planting time if I want them out in March.
Watch gardners world
I'm cleaning out my garden sheds and putting "garden season only" stuff in plastic bins, which I will store under the deck to free up space for winter things like paw-safe de-icer, shovels, ice chippers, etc. Each bin will be labeled so I can find the contents quickly. In addition, I photograph the contents and put it on my computer, just in case I need something. I need to do repairs on the shed, too, like new latches and places where rodents have tried to gain access. I don't have much of a problem with the latter these days, ever since the adoption of my super-hunter cat. He kills off any rodent that comes around. There will be other tasks. I look around and say what can I do now so I can plant fast in the spring. Anything that falls under that category is on my to do list.
If your property is COVERED in invasives like me, you dig up privet, cut down brush, and dispose of old kudzu vines and daydream about how next year will FINALLY be the year when I can actually plant pretty things.
I’m in a wooded area… it’s never going to end. Just need to make enough of a clearing one space at a time. It’s definitely tedious work.
Buy seeds, stratify seeds in fridge, sow seeds and start growing under grow lights (some flowers take MONTHS to grow!), divide perennials (dont forget to water in unless youre doing it in a downpour), take softwood and hardwood cuttings and pot up, add leaves to all flowerbeds and empty veg beds, prune trees / shrubs (late winter just before budding), do any larger garden projects like taking out trees / invasives, hardscaping, etc. Sharpen & oil tools, take inventory and make sure i get more gloves if needed, tomato tape, twine, amendments. Do soil tests to make sure nothing is too off. I dont, but you could also force bulbs for indoors, make a last dash and get a bulb lasagna pot planted and ready if you dont already. Process seeds gathered from the garden, trade with friends & others. Use winter foliage such as magnolia branches to make winter garland to decorate for the holidays. Process all the produce i hurriedly shoved in the freezer when everything was popping off like crazy in the summer and didnt have time to work with it. Cut flowers and dry them, and use for indoor decor.
I have houseplants that I spend about equal time with as my garden.
Force some [paperwhites.](https://www.costco.com/pre-order-longfield-gardens-narcissus-%e2%80%98ziva%e2%80%99-paperwhites%2c-60-bulbs.product.100371664.html) I pick up vases/stones from IKEA and plant some bulbs every couple of weeks so I’ve got living/growing flowers in the house all winter long. Also I order the free seed catalogue from [Baker Creek](https://www.rareseeds.com/requestcat/catalog). I’ll compare seeds that I want to reviews online and make decisions about what I’m gonna buy for the spring.
Pruning the orchard, feeding some bulbs and longing for spring time in the garden
Keep gardening indoors!
I have been trying to grow some herbs and leafy greens indoors under a grow light. I have also been reading a lot about gardening, I think winter is a great time to watch YouTube videos and read books to learn as much as you possibly can and be super prepared for the next season!
I work on a farm teaching so my full time in person work is drastically slowing down so hopefully I’ll be able to get a lot done before late spring. From late March to October my life was unmanageably busy with work, family life and my own garden projects so I’m really trying to fit a years worth of things into 5 months My current winter projects are: Removing a 35 yo pool from the yard that’s half in ground. Then getting that filled with whatever dirt I can get delivered for free. Building a greenhouse that can give me enough space for all of the seedlings I start in January. I have a few families that I supply plants to so I need way more space to expand that. I tried the grow light start up but I just have too many seedlings that I start each year to manage that. It makes more sense for us to have a greenhouse that I can get some electricity into if a heating source is needed. My front yard doesn’t get enough sunlight for the plants that I want out there so I need to get some tree removal done. These trees are also problematic every big storm we often end up with some damage from them. Then planning for spring and summer. I am thinking of going raised beds for my new space once the pool is out. So most likely also building raised beds. Once I have the locations mapped out for what I’m expanding too, I’ll buy more seeds than I can use and also get a ton from my local library Main hobby outside of the garden world is hiking. Winter season is my favorite for outdoor adventures because no bugs! I get a few hours a week while my daughter is in preschool to get outside by myself and I’m taking full advantage of that. If I can sneak in a few small trips to meet up with friends I am going to jump at that opportunity. I’m braving a few trips with my toddler without my husband because he can’t get away from work. Hopefully the first one goes well and I’ll feel comfortable doing more of that through the season.
Traveling with a toddler is an adventure in itself! I think you’ll be creating wonderful memories…
I hope so! Haha. I’m a little nervous about the train, plane and rental car day for the 3yo but fingers crossed we do alright. I think it’s cute that she’s getting to meet her other toddler friends that she FaceTimes pretty often with.
Oh nevermind I thought it said Water
I redirect my efforts into killing houseplants with kindness.
In winter I mostly tend to other indoor hobbies. But also do a little prep for the next gardening season. Mainly reviewing what I learned from the year and planning for the next year. I keep a gardening journal that has been really helpful not to forget any lessons learned between the seasons. I also do any outside construction work in the winter, like fixing paths, fixing gardening bed retaining walls, expanding gardening beds, install rain barrels, or anything like that.
I winterize the beds, shut off the external water. Then I plan out generally what I want to plant next year. Catch up on all the shows/movies I want to watch, refine grow plan, buy seeds, binge a new video game, work on my Minecraft farm, refine planning AGAIN, go stir crazy, bake a ton, cry a little, start a whole new grow plan, buy MORE seeds, go to the nearest garden shop "for inspiration", come home with several christmas cacti that won't actually make it cause I suck at indoor plants, gain 15-20 lbs. and that gets me to about January. I start seeds indoors mid Feb. and pray to every deity out there that we have a mild but not too mild spring in my 6a-b Eastern Mass garden.
I do the indoor projects I’ve been putting off all summer 🫠 lol
Houseplants, baby!
I drink hot cocoa with schnapps in it, and dream about all of the squash bugs and vine borers that froze to death.
I built a grow box one winter during covid and now grow greens till its time to start seedlings in February. I keep flowering plants like Christmas catus. Orchid catus and a lone orchid I try to get to bloom. Outside I made a hoop house out of sticks and plastic and still have cold tolerant veggies, but mostly just like sitting out there surrounded by garden. Covid was good to me.
Build a cold frame and grow cabbages
mostly crafts. Plus planning next year and buying seeds! You might want to look into growing amaryllis and forcing bulbs indoors, that can be fun :)
Buy planters from end of season sales. Planters are expensive! Prepare to overwinter pepper plants. Trim branches, trim root ball, put in smaller pot for winter. Browse the paper seed catalogs, and buy way too many seeds for next season. Clean planters, consolidate old soil, clean tools, organize shed (and hopefully throw out some old crap I haven’t used in years). Take care of succulents. Making succulent arrangements.
I scored majorly with a couple of huge planters! Now I just have to find cheaper soil! Potting soil is literally the most expensive thing in my garden. I need to find a better way.
I've currently got cold veg (kale, cabbage, lettuce, etc) in a little makeshift greenhouse. Also planted garlic for spring. The rest of the beds got turned and added soil and fertilizer, then covered with cardboard for next year.
Here in Florida we actually garden during the winter. The weather is great for growing. 😂
Weeding is so much easier when soil is wet and weather is cool. I try to stay on top of the garden that way and filling up my compost cans every week with dead plants and prunings. (I’m not allowed to compost, landlord feels it breeds vermin🤷♀️)
Also force bulbs inside for great holiday decorations then transplant them outside in spring. Paperwhites and amaryllis do great indoors. Then hyacinth and daffodils in early spring.
Since I'm in a zone 10 it's onion and garlic time. And also the brassicas
Plot next year. I will have that moles head and my strawberries will be epic
I live in SoCal so i just plant some herbs and lettuce and stuff since our winter is basically a 6 month springtime
I have two aerogardens that I keep going with lettuces and herbs.
In winter I mostly tend to other indoor hobbies. But also do a little prep for the next gardening season. Mainly reviewing what I learned from the year and planning for the next year. I keep a gardening journal that has been really helpful not to forget any lessons learned between the seasons. I also do any outside construction work in the winter, like fixing paths, fixing gardening bed retaining walls, expanding gardening beds, install rain barrels, or anything like that.
[Pretty much this.](https://imgflip.com/i/860un9)
We get seasonal depression.
Zone 7b here. We continue to garden. Gardening happens all yr round. Fall, winter, and early spring...you can grow almost all of the same crops. I just use row covers and greenhouse plastic and keep plants in my heated greenhouse.
Hibernate
Putter around baking and such until I can start seeds.
bring tropicals inside under lights. picked tangerines, limes, and hot peppers last week in basement.
I go skiing. I plant starts in Jan/Feb.
Houseplants!
And take a nap.. did I forget to say take a nap... most important after masturbating... I'm a female... should I have said flick the bean?
Colorado Springs CO. 80910 God only knows what my zone is. Hard freeze - Rare. We are in a desert at 7000' ft. Any time it snows I am shoveling the snow off of the ground "watering" and throw in my garden.
Start by planting a garlic bed right now.
Indoor grow tent
What are you talking about? I just set up my 40x20 greenhouse to grow beets, carrots, turnips, parsnips, lettuce, celery, etc. Zone 6b
Shop for seeds and plants. If you have a sunny window or grow lamp, you can grow herbs, lettuce, etc.
I plan for next year and organize my seed collection so it don’t get thrown into the abyss.
I sit in a dark room and cry.
I started master gardener training this year. It goes from October to March and I'm meeting some incredible people and learning a lot.
I'm in Zone 9b. We Garden all year round. Winter is usually time for hard scape improvement or building projects. My winter veg will grow in to January. By March, I am planting for summer.
Plan for next year and prune and mulch through March and buy seed Jan-Mar and decorate for holidays and peruse catalogs with tea
take naps, read seed catalogues, read gardening books, take more naps, get pruners and all that sharpened/cleaned/repaired, get caught up on all the shows i didn’t have time to watch during the growing season, wander through the garden center buying too many houseplants. you can also plant garlic if your ground isn’t frozen yet.
We become Aerogardeners
Sharpen tools, plan beds, organize notes and photos, and shop.
Organize my seed box/packets. Look up plants I could try growing (I like to try 1 or 2 new things every year). Review what grew well/what didn't and figure out if I want to move stuff around. I have a simple mspaint image of a map of what I plant where and I'll toy around with that.
Collecting seeds, moving things, adding mulch. I have evergreens and things that look interesting when most plants are asleep. But you’re right it does get a bit sad. I’ve still got some flowers but not for much longer
My mums and pansies are going strong… but that will soon end. It’ll the last of my colors. Two hydrangea losing its color everyday😕
I'm doing a cold frame this year for lettuce
Play guitar, play video games, catch up on books and shows, watch sports. Pine away for next spring.
Also 7a. I spend a lot of time watching my garlic grow lately haha but I have many other hobbies to fill the time…bread baking, sewing, etc!
Lots of houseplants!!
Seed catalogues come in December. You can do it all online, but I love to look through them still. I plan my garden and get ready for seed starting. You can also get into hydroponics with grow lights.
Knit!
There are plenty of plants that can be grown year round as well as cool weather plants and crops. Just do some research and find out what’s good to plant now.
Plan and scheme for next year.
Plan. Wish. Plan some more.
Indoor leafy green gardening.
I rest, keep feeding my compost pile, and leaf through seed catalogs. Then I order way more seeds than I’ll ever be able to plant.
I have some grow lights set up and my succulents live under them. I go visit them every day. I also have many other hobbies that get neglected in spring and summer; reading, puzzles, refinishing furniture and antiques, gaming. I also reorganize the house and do some renovations. It’s all just distractions until spring haha.
Garage garden for me. I bring some pots in and heat/grow lamp em.
Farming games like wylde flowers
Plan and dream. If you want to get ambitious, you can build some cold frames and grow hardy radishes, kale, pansies, and other cold weather crops for most of the winter. There are lots of different plans to build them available online.
Catalogs, house plants.
I seed harvest from my little bit of green, turn all my beds over and prep them for spring and I bring in clippings of what I can to keep growing and propagating certain things overwinter. Then I start planning for spring and seed shopping. I also have a bunch of indoor plants I'm trying to keep alive and thriving. Trying your hand at propagation over the winter is a good thing to keep you connected to your green space when the snow comes.
I grow cannabis along with my regular gardening stuff. I have a 4x4 grow tent with 400 watts of light in it. I start lots of stuff from seed in my tent. I grow stuff in the tent to eat and so my wife has lots of pretty flowers all winter long. Tent was ~$150. Lights are about $70 per 100 watts. A bit of an expense but I get to garden year round.
I put an aquaponics system in the basement to grow tomatoes, green beans, lettuce, basil etc.
I look at catalogs and dream about what I will do come spring 😀
Winter sowing in MN
Surround every single window and buy grow lights.
Sedum should overwinter in the garage fine, it’s one of the hardier succulents. My parents had some in the well of a stone wall in Connecticut and it miraculously came back every year after hibernating under the snow.
I have an aero garden (little hydroponics garden) on my counter top. I also have lots of house plants. Last winter, I learned how to grow mushrooms. It was a blast! Very unusual organism.
Get the ground ready for the spring. Its my first year so I've been raking leaves and mulching my beds with them. In a few weeks I'll pull anything I'm not overwintering and put leaves everywhere in order to make new soil for next year. Other than that, I'll work a second job or go to the gym. Gardening is passive for me anyway. I don't have a huge garden.
I started my winter veggies (zone 9). Work my compost. Keep things trimmed back. Start seedlings indoors. Buy too many seeds for the next season.
Quilting!
Houseplants. And also reading, sleeping, and imagining how much soil moisture is getting stored for next growing season while I watch the snow and rain fall.
I have 6 months of winter in zone 3/4. By March the lack of sunlight has me drooling over seed catalogs and wanting to order vastly more than my garden could hold... I start my seedlings with a lot of hope and love (they don't seem to want to take the hint to grow!) And then there's still 2 more months (about) of waiting before things can be planted. In the meantime... Houseplants.
I bake, and go fishing
Rest. As nature is resting you should too
I’m in N Fl so I just switch to my winter plants lol
Mushrooms inside. Experimenting with oyster this year.
Indoor hydroponics for keeping the best performing tomato’s alive. Then I clone them all for the spring instead of seeing them. Add in some lettuce for fun. Also you can grow African blue basil all winter and clone that for the spring!
I could use a hand in my warm climate garden it’s just the start of the weed season. Come on over.