Even though winter might seem like a waste of time for your permaculture vegetable garden, many tasks still need tending to. Most of all, this quiet, dormant time is the perfect opportunity to prep your garden for the vibrant spring season that’s just around the corner.Wondering what to do in a permaculture garden in winter?
Here’s how you can keep busy!
The jobs shift as the light returns: a quiet spell of cuttings and mulch, then planning, then a rush of sowing. Use this table to see at a glance what each part of the season asks of you.
| Period | Sowing | Planting | Other jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midwinter | Indoors in the warm: lettuce, cabbage, spinach, leek. Apple and pear pips in pots left outdoors to stratify | Garlic cloves, trees and perennials, if the ground is not frozen hard | Take cuttings of soft fruit, fig, willow and grapevine; renew mulch; a handful of ash per square metre |
| Late winter | Fava bean and pea sown direct at the base of trees | No planting; keep growing areas covered with mulch | Inventory and order seed, revise the design and sowing calendar, prune trees, put up birdhouses and bug hotels |
| Early spring | In pots and on hot beds: tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, melon, eggplant. Outdoors: lettuce, radish, parsnip, pea, fava bean, turnip | Jerusalem artichoke, cabbage, lettuce, shallot and onion sets, thyme, rosemary, sage, tarragon, chives, summer savory | Start the seed potatoes sprouting in a light spot out of direct sun; watch for showers |
Whatever the week brings, the soil stays covered: that is the one constant across all three periods.
Depending on where you live, midwinter might dress your garden in a blanket of snow or an icy coat. So it’s a perfect time for your garden to take a breather.
It’s also a great time to focus on cuttings for blackberry, red currant, blackcurrant, fig, willow, and even grapevine.
You can already get started on indoor sowing, in a warm environment, with lettuces, cabbages, spinach, and leeks.
Similarly, you can sow apple and pear seeds in small pots. Place these outdoors, exposing them to stratification for effective seed germination.
A good permaculture mulch is crucial during intense cold. So, renew your mulch around perennials regularly to protect their roots. Use organic material like straw, dead leaves, branches, shredded material, or even hay.
The permaculture gardener’s tip:
Always cover growing areas with mulch in winter, even if there’s no planting. You can also spread not-yet-ripe compost. Midwinter is also a great time to scatter fireplace ash on the soil, at a rate of a handful per square meter (never more).
Even as days start to stretch, late winter still ranks as the coldest month. Hence, take it easy, cozy up, and inventory your stash of seeds. Now’s a good time to order and replace them, if needed. Also, take a look at last spring’s permaculture design, tweak and revise, learning from setbacks.
→ It’s high time you got your sowing calendar in order.
The permaculture gardener’s tip:
Try creating your own soil mix, blending 30% garden soil, 30% sieved humus, and 40% sieved, mature compost.
Though not always a must-do, some trees might need a trim.
Make the most of winter! Set up birdhouses, bug hotels, and hedgehog huts in your permaculture garden.
→ Want more ideas? Shelters for small critters
By late winter, sow fava bean and pea seeds directly at base of trees for their nitrogen-fixing properties.
Until Early spring 20 (equinox), we’re officially still in winter, but you can feel spring knocking at the door. You might even enjoy a few pleasantly warm days, but keep your eye out for those notorious Early spring showers.
Get those potatoes germinating, simply storing them in a lighted place but away from direct sunlight does the trick.
Come early spring, there’s a lot you can start sowing in pots and on hot beds, such as many summer veggies and fruits like tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, watermelon, melon, and eggplant.
In a cold greenhouse, sow cauliflower, spinach, leek, lettuce, and broccoli seeds. Outdoors, start sowing of lettuce, radish, parsnip, pea, fava bean, and turnip.
Activity begins to ramp up in the vegetable garden as well. Plant Jerusalem artichoke, cabbage, lettuce, shallot and onion sets, and some herbs like thyme, rosemary, sage, tarragon, chives, and summer savory.
→ To go further:
