With Lawn Care Done, You Can Focus on Creating a Productive Winter Landscape in Wichita
As summer winds down, so, too, do weekly lawn care responsibilities. In late summer, you can begin planning your winter crops to make special meals all year round.
Certain vegetables are happy to grow in cooler temperatures - and they can make your Wichita landscaping look great, too. Keep reading to learn more about winter gardening and how our landscaping company can help you prepare for the change in seasons.
Veggies to Grow in Winter
In Wichita, you can plant winter crops as late as August through early October, depending on temperatures and the types of plants you choose. Consider seasonal vegetables that are ideal ingredients in cold-weather meals, or those that you can can and store for use later.
Arugula, when protected from frost, will grow all winter long. Successive sowings two weeks apart starting 6 weeks before the first frost, and cover with a cloche or similar structure.
Beets should be planted 6 to 8 weeks before the first frost, and add mulch before cold weather hits.
Bok choy can be sown in September every three weeks and should be covered with a row cover during heavy frosts or extremely low temperatures.
Broad beans are ready for harvest in early spring.
Garlic can be planted in late fall and be harvested in midsummer; this plant loves compost and mulch!
Cabbage can overwinter until spring and is a great component for decorative bouquets.
Harvest carrots in winter if you plant them as late as early August. Although they’ll stop growing when it gets cold, they can overwinter in the soil.
Kale gets sweeter when grown in cold weather, but it requires alkaline soil for best success.
Lettuce varieties do well during winter, especially if it’s planted in a greenhouse. It grows quickly, but requires plenty of water.
Overwintering varieties of onions are ready for a late-spring harvest. Be sure to add mulch or row covers if temperatures drop below 10 degrees.
Parsley is an ideal seasoning for lots of cuisine. Plant it in the ground, but cover it with a cloche when weather drops below freezing.
Certain pea varieties can be planted in late summer for a fall harvest, but you can overwinter them for a spring harvest if you provide protection from frost.
Spinach loves cooler weather and doesn’t need much sunlight to grow. Plant it outside as late as September, and it will grow all winter, assuming you protect it from frost.
Plant hardy swiss chard in August and keep the soil moist. You’ll be rewarded with flavorful produce, even after a freeze.
Winter Gardening Tips
If you’ve selected a variety of plants to sow before the first freeze, you must begin planting while the weather is still warm. Sow them after your annual lawn care is complete - and don’t forget to use cover crops on any garden beds you are not planning to plant for winter. This will keep high levels of nutrients in the soil and help prevent erosion from rainfall or wind. It also can help prevent weeds from growing, which reduces the amount of landscaping work you’ll have to do later.
Consider planting your winter crops in raised beds, for which you can fit row covers or cloches on, rather than setting them up directly in the soil of your lawn. It’ll make harvesting and care easier, too; you won’t need to squat, bend, or stretch while there’s still ice or snow on the ground.
Don’t forget to take advantage of professional landscaping services as the seasons transition. In addition to important lawn care, like aerating and seeding, a Wichita, KS landscaper can help you plan new hardscaping and start work in the spring, ensure your trees are adequately nourished, and help you create and maintain a beautiful outdoor oasis.
Get Wichita Landscaping Ideas from Meadowlark - And Schedule Lawn Care Today!
Not sure how to transform your lawn and yard? Need ideas for making your outdoor spaces more useful and productive? The expert landscapers at Meadowlark Landscape and Design can help you make the most of your backyard and front yard, plus take care of every facet of it so you do not have to.
There’s just one catch: you cannot wait until it’s time to start mowing or weeding to schedule your landscaping services. In fact, right now is the perfect time to learn more about our Wichita, KS landscaping offerings and get on our schedule for spring maintenance. To learn more or to get a free estimate for hardscaping, lawn care, and more, send us a message using the contact form on our website, or send us an email at info@meadowlarklawn.com. One of our expert landscapers will get back to you as soon as possible to learn more about your needs and outdoor lifestyle.