Tag: pruning

January Garden Checklist

By

On January 10, 2021

In Gardening

The weather is cold but there is still plenty to do in the garden! Here are some tips and ideas for your garden this month.

The new year is here! Here in Oregon the weather is often very cold and wet in January which makes it difficult to get outside. Luckily there is still plenty to do indoors on these rainy days!

January is a great time to focus on planning, indoor projects, and maintenance tasks so you will be well prepared for the season ahead. The list below is based on my garden in zone 8, and you may need to adjust timing based on your specific climate and geographic location. Here are this month’s chores:

1. Build raised beds for next season

If you are wanting some new raised beds in your garden next year, now is the time to start building them! This way they will be finished and ready to plant in the spring.

raised garden beds

2. Plan your vegetable garden for next year

Now is the time to start planning what you want to include in your garden next year! Plan to include vegetables that have done well in the past as well as some new varieties that you will like to try. Also include flowers such as marigolds to help attract bees and other beneficial insects to improve pollination.

I usually plan my garden on a piece of graph paper. I always work in pencil because my plans are sure to change! After you are done place it in a plastic page protector. This will help to keep it clean and dry when you take it outside to plant your garden in the spring.

garden plan on graph paper

3. Look through seed catalogs and order seeds

Nothing beats the winter doldrums better than getting a seed catalog in your mailbox! Many seed companies will send you a free catalog if you request one on their website.

My absolute favorite seed catalog is from Territorial Seed because they are located in Oregon where I live. They carry varieties that do well in my specific climate and I have had great success with seeds I have purchased from them. Other popular seed companies are Park Seed, Burpee Seed, Botanical Interests, and Johnny’s Selected Seeds.

Enjoy going through the catalog and dreaming about what seed varieties you want to try. Be sure to order early for the best selection.

Look through seed catalogs and make a list

4. Start a garden journal

Having a garden journal can help you stay organized throughout the season. Keep your garden plan, plant tags, and empty seed packets so you know what you planted this year. Also keep a list of planting dates, harvest logs, and other notes that you can refer back to. Next year you can look back at what went well and what you learned.

Start a garden journal by finding a notebook that you like. I like to use a 3-ring binder so I can easily add and remove pages. Record whatever information you find the most useful. Use dividers to help keep everything organized.

Use a 3 ring notebook as a garden journal

5. Clean and sharpen gardening tools

Now is a great time to clean and sharpen your garden tools so they are ready for the season ahead. Proper care and maintenance will help your tools last longer and function better.

Clean your tools in soapy water and soak in vinegar to remove rust. Also sharpen your pruners, loppers, and shears. Make sure to store your tools in a clean, dry place.

Related Post: How to easily clean rusty pruners

How to easily clean rusty pruners

6. Start pruning fruit trees while dormant

Regular yearly pruning will help develop a strong structure so your trees can handle the load of heavy fruit. It will also help to keep the trees healthy and improve fruit quality.

The best time to prune fruit trees is in the winter months when they are dormant. Winter pruning is easier on the tree and also easier for you because you can better see the framework of the tree without the all the leaves in the way. Pruning fruit trees can be a big job, depending on how many fruit trees you have. Start early and try to finish before the buds begin to break in the spring.

an apple tree that needs to be pruned

7. Harvest vegetables from your winter garden

If you have any vegetables in your winter garden continue to harvest them throughout the season as needed. Carrots, onions, beets, turnips, and other root crops can be stored in the ground and harvested throughout the winter as long as the ground temperature stays above 20-25 degrees or so. The tops will die back but the roots will be crunchy and sweet. Make sure to dig all your root crops before spring because the quality will start to decline when growth begins again.

Harvest carrots throughout the winter

Final Thoughts

Hope you find some time to get in the garden this month! Print the checklist below to help keep you on track. There are also some blank areas so you can add your own items to the list. Happy gardening!

Free Printables:

January Garden Checklist (color version)

January Garden Checklist

January garden checklist
January garden checklist

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Strawberry plants with dead leaves over the winter

How to Clean Up Strawberry Beds

By

On December 12, 2020

In Gardening

Strawberries are a wonderful plant to include in your home garden! With proper care they can produce sweet juicy strawberries for many years. However, strawberry plants can take a beating over the winter. Leaves die and if you did not prune your runners the previous summer your berry patch can easily become a tangled mess like the picture below:

Strawberry plants with dead leaves over the winter
Strawberry plants can easily become a tangled mess over the winter. Cleaning them out before growth starts will help to keep the plants healthy and maximize yields the following spring.

Today I will show you how to clean up your strawberry beds so they are ready for growth in the spring. Let’s get started!

Why to Clean Up Your Strawberry Beds

There are several reasons to clean up your strawberry beds before growth starts in the spring:

  • Old leaves and plant materials left behind can propagate diseases.
  • Snails and slugs can become a problem when there are a lot of dead leaves and places for them to hide.
  • Dense plantings compete for light and nutrients, which will decrease productivity and lead to smaller berries.
  • Pruning increases air circulation which will reduce the chance of diseases to spread.

When to Clean Up Strawberry Beds

One of the best times to prune strawberries is in the summer, right after the final harvest of the year. However, since leaves may die over the winter months, strawberries should be cleaned up and pruned a second time in late winter. This is past when any damage will occur due to cold weather but before they put on lush spring growth. Late January through early March is generally a good time.

How to Clean Up Strawberry Beds

Step 1: Pull up old plants

Strawberry plants die for a number of reasons and they need to be removed from your strawberry bed. You can recognize these plants because the leaves are dead and there is no green growth at the crown. Since strawberry plants naturally decline in productivity after about three years, also pull up any plants that are hard and woody and show little new growth.

a dead strawberry plant
This plant has brown, dead leaves and no green growth at the crown. Pull it up and remove it from your strawberry bed.

Step 2: Prune away dead leaves, runners, and flower stalks

Dead leaves are of no benefit to the plant and can spread diseases. They also give a place for snails, slugs, and other pests to hide. Prune these off at their base, being careful not to damage the crown of the plant. Also remove older leaves that are very long and dull, or leaves that are red or yellowed. Leave the healthy green leaves growing close to the crown of the plant.

Cut away dead leaves at the base of the strawberry plant.
Prune away dead leaves at their base. Leave healthy green leaves and be careful not to damage the crown of the plant.

Sometimes old flower stalks are still attached to the plant. They serve no purpose at this point so make sure to remove them as well.

Also remove runners, or the stems that go between plants, as these can become rather tangled. If the daughter plants are rooted and healthy, I usually leave these in the ground but take them out if they look unhealthy or if they have not rooted properly.

a dead flower stalk on a strawberry plant
Remove old flower stalks as well as the runners that go between plants.

Step 3: Pull up plants that are overcrowded or not where you want them

In the summer months strawberries send out a multitude of runners in every direction. If not pruned off these take root and form a new plant. Sometimes these runners end up in a good location, and sometimes they are not where you want them. Do not be afraid to dig these up and transplant them elsewhere in your planting bed. For example, the strawberry plant below ended up too close to my walkway so I carefully dug it up and moved it to a different location.

a strawberry plant
Although this strawberry looks very healthy, it is too close to my walkway. In this location, it will not be able to develop a full root system. I carefully dug it up and replanted it elsewhere in my bed.

Also remove strawberry plants that are too close to each other. Strawberries that are too close together they will compete for light and nutrients which will decrease productivity and lead to smaller berries. Dense plantings also reduce air circulation, trap moisture, and spread diseases.

How should your strawberry plants be? Plants should be spaced at least 6 inches apart so they have plenty of room to grow.

If you find plants too close together carefully remove one of them. If the plant looks healthy you can move it to another location in your strawberry bed. Or, you can plant it in a pot or share it with a friend.

two strawberry plants growing close together
These two plants are too close together. I kept one and moved the second plant to a new location.

Eventually this is what we want to end up with: healthy strawberry plants, spaced at least 6 inches apart, with dead leaves and runners removed. This is such a big difference from where we started out!

strawberry bed after pruning
After pruning strawberries are spaced appropriately with unhealthy plants, dead leaves, and runners removed.

Growing Tips

Now that your strawberry beds are cleaned up, here are a few more growing tips:

Add Mulch

When you are finished cleaning up your strawberry bed you can add some mulch around the base of your strawberry plants. This will help to keep the soil moist, prevent disease from spreading as easily, regulate the soil temperature, and keep the berries off of the dirt. Clean straw works well for this.

Water Regularly

Spring rains usually provide enough water for your strawberries but make sure to water them if you have a dry spell. The soil should be kept moist but not overly soggy. Strawberries need about an inch of water per week.

Wait to Fertilize Until After Harvest

As tempting as it is, now is not the best time to give strawberry plants a big dose of fertilizer. This can lead to too much leafy growth and poor berry production in the spring. The best time to fertilize your berry patch is after they are done producing berries for the year in June or July.

Final Thoughts

There you have it! Now that you know how to clean up your strawberry beds you will be rewarded with beautiful sweet strawberries in the spring. They are perfect for eating fresh, strawberry shortcake, or homemade strawberry jam! As always, Happy Gardening!

a healthy strawberry patch
Strawberry plants put on lush new growth in the spring.
fresh strawberries
Enjoy your sweet strawberries!

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