What to do with Colorado garden in winter?

i just finished my first summer of SFG gardening with my 5 yr old. What do I do with it over the winter in Colorado? Do I keep the sides up with the soil still in and just cover it? Or do I break it down? Can I compost in the garden square itself or do you just do that outside the garden? I;m clearly confused. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I think most people just leave their gardens together over the winter. That is what I do here in central British Columbia. You can cover it if you want. Some people do and some don't. If you cover it with plastic it keeps the rain and snow from leaching out the nutrients as well as helps the soil warm up quicker in the spring. Some people use black plastic and some use clear plastic. I use clear. One reason I like to cover mine is to keep the neighbourhood cats from using it as their own private litter box.

There are different ways to compost and you can make a compost pile, heap, bin or whatever you like. My compost bin is made out of old pallets that I layer leaves, grass clippings, plant material and kitchen waste in. But there are a number of different kinds to suit any budget that you can buy.

If you want to, you can also compost right in your garden as well. I do that almost all year except when it is frozen solid and waist deep in snow. My squares are right in the ground and do not have a wood or fabric bottom. In the fall I dig holes right in my garden squares and bury the contents from my kitchen compost pail. It only takes a few weeks and there is not sign of the stuff. Worms love it. in the summer, I have an old blender that I use to make compost "soup" that I pour in a hole. My compost book calls them honey holes. Again, the worms love it .

I hope you and your 5 yr. old had a wonderful gardening year that was rewarding in lots of ways. Planning for the next growing season is half the fun. Best of luck

GK

PS. Welcome to the forum!!

GK

Hi ldonnell and welcome! Where in CO are you? I'm in Colorado Springs, and this was my first year gardening, too. I'm planting garlic and onions in one of my beds (gotta get them in soon!) and my second bed, I plan to relocate in the spring. I think, though, that I'll cover that one with black plastic for the winter.

Let us know what you decide to do! Do you have pictures of your garden (and helper)?

So....if one chooses to compost via the blender directly into your garden, is there a need to look at brown vs green / nitrogen to carbon ratio? Or can I just make a concoction of leftover veggies / peels / scraps??

Thanks, you wise and experienced SFG experts!!

WJB

WJB wrote:So....if one chooses to compost via the blender directly into your garden, is there a need to look at brown vs green / nitrogen to carbon ratio? Or can I just make a concoction of leftover veggies / peels / scraps??

Thanks, you wise and experienced SFG experts!!

WJB

LOL! I don't consider myself all that wise or an expert of any kind but there are others on here who are. I just try stuff and see what happens. Some of the things I try I read about in books, others I do because that is what my grandmother and mother did.

When I give my garden the blender cocktail, or even when I did scraps directly into the garden plot, I don't worry about the brown vs green ratio. I am just giving them a booster shot of yummies. In the spring or the fall I will add more shredded leaves, grass clippings, contents of my office shredder for more browns.

GK

I'm new here, also and can't answer your question because I'm not in your area, but I wanted to say Hi and welcome.

GK, Great suggestions. Do you mind if I ask which compost book you have?
It sounds like a good one.

Betty

I have more than one but my favourite is The Complete Compost Gardening Guide by Barbara Pleasant & Deborah L. Martin. It is awesome. Both my daughters bought the same one after they saw mine.

GK