Seasonal Gardening - Winter

Protect tender plants during frost and freeze events by watering ahead of a freeze when appropriate, mulching roots, and covering plants with frost cloth, sheets, or blankets that extend to the ground to trap heat from the soil.

Do not waste fall leaves. Shred and compost them, use them as mulch, or pile them lightly around tender plants as temporary insulation during cold weather

Prune trees while dormant when structure is easier to see and dead, damaged, or crossing branches are easier to identify. Avoid pruning oaks from February 1st through July1st due to oak wilt disease susceptibility.

On live oaks and other oaks, paint fresh pruning cuts immediately to reduce the risk of oak wilt transmission.

Build or improve beds by adding compost and organic matter in preparation for spring planting.

Continue harvesting cool-season vegetables and replant short-season winter crops where appropriate.

Plant bare-root or dormant fruit trees during the cool season and prune appropriately at planting time to help restore balance between roots and top growth. Winter planting gives roots time to establish before summer heat returns.

Check mulch depth around landscape plants to help insulate roots, buffer soil temperatures, and reduce winter moisture loss, but keep mulch pulled back from trunks and stems.

Water during dry winter periods, especially for recently planted trees and shrubs, since roots can still dry out even when plants are dormant or semi-dormant. Winter dryness in South Texas can still stress new plantings.

Use winter for structural garden tasks such as tool maintenance, irrigation checks, pathway repairs, trellis work, bed expansion, and planning for spring.