Comments on Northern Gardeners Almanac What's happening in northern gardens: Getting Ready For Spring.

You raise some really good points here Melanie. I...

2011-10-31T17:13:08.208-07:00

You raise some really good points here Melanie. I too have forgotten, or simply haven't gotten to cutting down perennials in spring only to have them push up on their own anyway with the old stalk simply falling away. This year I simply haven't had time to clear out the vegetable garden so it will wait until spring when I want to plant. I'm not sure what it will look like but it can't be all bad.

We don't really get frozen around here, just a...

2011-10-30T07:09:45.095-07:00

We don't really get frozen around here, just a few days at a time, but I totally agree with your idea. Some gardeners may claim that disease and pests overwinter in the leftovers...but I'm not one of them. They have still been there in the spring, if I clean thoroughly or not.

Besides being able to leave a food source for the birds means they can forage for food, in an environment that doesn't usually leave them enough.

I don't mind the architectural look of dead plants, it's the bare earth that bothers me so much.

Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

Helen- Thanks. Aleaf shedder would be cool I have ...

2011-10-29T17:44:14.996-07:00

Helen- Thanks. Aleaf shedder would be cool I have lots of fibrous stuff that takes forever or never manages to compost down.

Melanie, You've made some changes to your blog...

2011-10-29T17:24:44.912-07:00

Melanie, You've made some changes to your blog since last I was by. Looks good. I'm with you when it comes to leaves. The only difference is that a couple of years ago I bought a leaf shredder, which speeds up the decomposition of my maple leaves (otherwise, they mat into icy felt in the spring). Happy gardening!

We freeze enough not to have the critter problem e...

2011-10-29T17:00:30.485-07:00

We freeze enough not to have the critter problem either. I leave perennials up through winter too in hopes of catching snow. We don't have constant snow cover and things can dry out bad without some type of mulch. I do cut down the "wild area" and pile the things I trim there. In the spring it's a happy compost site with new plants sprouting.
We had a fall with limited ability to clean up the garden one year. It showed us that mother nature has her own plan. I leave the leaves too. Mostly, I put away the pots that will break of the plant supports so they're ready for next year's new plan.

You are just so darned lucky to have frozen ground...

2011-10-29T16:52:26.910-07:00

You are just so darned lucky to have frozen ground where the annoying voles cannot wreak havoc on your garden. I've lost many a plant or tree to those varmits and sometimes miss the frozen ground in the north.