I recently moved into a new house and I'm pretty new to gardening. My son is really eager to get started, but since we live in Massachusetts, winter is coming up soon. I was thinking it might be best to wait until spring to dive into gardening. However, I'm curious if there are any advantages to going ahead and building raised beds or preparing soil now. Are there activities or plants that can be managed in late fall?
4 Answers
Now is a perfect time to think about planting trees and bushes, too. Building your veggie beds will give you a head start this spring! You might want to start some seedlings indoors around February if you're keen, but pick one vegetable you love to focus on—like tomatoes or sunflowers—to make it easier.
Absolutely, build your beds now! It's a lot of work, and doing it now means less to stress about when spring arrives. You can add layers of organic material like old leaves and sticks to help break down over winter. Definitely check local nurseries since they often have end-of-season sales—great time to grab perennials and bulbs! Just keep an eye on what’s good for your area in Massachusetts, and plan for the next gardening year while you’re at it.
And don't forget to check which plants are suitable for your zone! Especially for those perennials that might look rough at this time of year.
Building your raised beds now is a great idea! I did it last fall and it really paid off in spring. Not only did I have everything ready to go, but the soil settled nicely over the winter, making it way easier when spring rolled around. Plus, if you want, you can plant garlic—it just takes up space until July, but it's totally worth it for the flavor!
Just keep in mind that if you want an earlier spring harvest, garlic might not be the best choice since it takes so long to grow. I ended up waiting a really long time last year for some tiny bulbs.
Totally agree! Starting the raised beds now will save you a lot of hassle later. When spring hits, you’ll be ahead of the game!
I started my raised beds in October when I first moved into my place. I used some logs and sticks in the bottom layer, which really helped with the soil health over time. Plus, I introduced worms when it rained—best decision ever! Don't be afraid to mix in some compost or good soil for a solid base.
Hugelkultur is such an underrated strategy! Using that kind of organic matter can make your soil so much richer.
Just make sure to keep a close eye on those seedlings; they can be a little tricky to manage at first!