Tucking the garden in: How we prepare for Winter in late Autumn here at the Lauriston Blend

As the days grow shorter and the mornings bite just a little more, it’s time to shift your garden into wind-down mode. Late autumn is your golden window to prep for winter’s rest—and set yourself up for a thriving season ahead. Regardless of if you're a weekend homesteader juggling kids and compost or an avid gardener like me dirt permanently under your nails, here's a practical guide to closing out the season with some care and purpose.

Plant What You Can Still Eat

Just because the temperatures are dropping doesn’t mean the planting’s done. Cold-hardy crops love the chill and give back in spades.

Garlic: Pop cloves in now for a bumper harvest come spring. Choose Aussie-grown varieties suited to cool climates. Not just what you buy at Woolies, buy specifi seed garlic to reduce the chance of disease and increase yields.
Broad beans: Sow directly. These seeds germinate in cool soil and reward you with nitrogen-fixing magic. Plus they are a great one for the kids to harvest, that is if you can get them from the veggie patch before they're all eaten!
Onions & Shallots: Long-season crops that thrive when planted in autumn and can be harvested mid-next year.
Spinach & Silverbeet: Get a few fast-growing greens in early before soil temps plummet.

Tip: Use a layer of mulch or frost cloth if you're planting late to help young seedlings adjust just in case. We did already have a dahlia killing frost take out the cut flower garden and the tomatoes in mid-April this season.

Clean Up, But Not Too Much

Tidying the garden in autumn doesn’t mean stripping it bare. A bit of controlled mess benefits your soil and local wildlife.

Pull out spent summer crops, but leave roots of legumes like beans in place—they feed your soil with nitrogen. This also supports 'no-dig' garden practises which bebefit the soil best.
Leave seed heads on a few herbs and flowers for birds to snack on.
Chop and drop: Cut down dead annuals and lay them over the beds as a natural mulch. This no-dig trick builds soil health and keeps microbes happy.

Feed the Soil While It Rests

Winter is when the soil does its quiet work beneath the surface. Help it along with these simple steps:

Top beds with compost—a light blanket of organic matter will slowly break down over the winter months.
Mulch generously with straw, leaves, or grass clippings to prevent erosion, suppress weeds, and protect soil life. We use the leaves off our oak tree and the goat and chicken bedding after its aged but I have seen folks collecting leaf litter in town and at the park.
Sow green manure crops like oats or field peas. These living covers prevent leaching and can be chopped back in early spring to feed your beds.

Tend to Your Perennials

Give your roses, fruit trees, and berries some attention so they don’t sulk all winter.

Roses: Stop feeding now to discourage new growth. Light prune if needed, but save the hard cut for winter proper. I have dead headed back two buds but that is it at this stage.
Fruit trees: Rake fallen leaves and any fruit to prevent overwintering pests and fungal disease. Compost them if they are clean of disease or bin/burn them if not.
Berries: Trim runners on strawberries, remove old raspberry canes, and mulch generously around crowns.

A Little Maintenance Goes a Long Way

Take stock of your tools, structures, and supplies while the weather’s still decent.

Sharpen tools and oil wooden handles.
Check trellises and garden beds for rot or wear.
Drain hoses and clean out watering systems before frosts crack them and cover any that need to stay on with something like foam of a pool noodle or cloth to prevet the frost bursting pipes.
Store seed packets somewhere dry and mouse-proof.

Extra things to note

If you have chooks give the coop a proper clean and ensure there are no cracks or damaged ares that can cause injury or let the cold in.

If you have Bees begin to reduce entrances, remove feeders, and insulate hives if needed. We do this for our bees as they're in an open spot of the orchard and have limited protection.

Those who are making compost, keep turning it weekly while it’s still warm, then insulate with straw or old wooden boards when winter hits.

These simple tasks done now help make a big impat come springtime and each can be done in small itervals as you potter in the garden. Winter is the much needed break after a busy season and a time to assess what changes can be made in the garden. Just rememeber to stay warm.

Happy gardening,

Clair