BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Container Gardening Your BEST Wintery Tip

Hello there!

Hope this finds you all well and ready to face whatever the season that is coming up in your neck of the woods is plotting and planning and going to be offering to you!

Here, tra la, I have some of the pretti-yest scents and sights and soft breezes facing me - Spring presents to be offered by this courageous season as it officially springs into place tomorrow, being September 1st in Johhannesburg. Of course it won't matter if it decided to snow again and we are sure to get another cold front sweeping past anyway BUT Spring is springing for most places south of the equator and not just Jo'burg! And that brings a smile to many a face I tell you!

B U T on the other hand I do know that many gardeners are facing Autumn and Winter... not so?

Join in and please give us your best tip for your containers as you are getting ready for the WINTER. What sayest you? If you have more than one tip, well go ahead, please tell us.

Here is my first -

Use the upcoming weekend to repot your sensitive pots by changing the soil (no extra feeding) but lining the pots with say 6-10 thicknesses of newspaper. Do not used colour pages and only use the newsprint - not the glossy style paper sometime used for advertising. Newspaper is a poor conductor of heat and will protect roots and keep them warm and unfrozen and is biodegradable.

Remember watering needs to be lessened during the colder months anywhere and that if you do line your containers with the paper, this will retain water for a while longer as well, so do not overwater.

Now it is your turn...


Cheers now,

I ask everyone in the neighborhood for their leaves. In fact, everyone lines up to dump them over my gardens. (saves them from going to the dump) I have free mulch, leaf mold, and it protects the roots from freezing. For containers I put them in all one place close to the house and cover them with leaves.