Frost, snow and thaws can damage plants, garden tools and water pipes. To avoid buying new plants and spades in spring, prepare the garden in advance: the healthier and better kept it is going into winter, the less damage moisture and cold can do.
The best time is a dry autumn day after the first night frosts but well before snow. Below is a plan that covers both the plants and everything in the garden made of metal and rubber.
What you will need
Important: Use lubricants only on tools, furniture and mechanisms; never spray them on plants, soil or pond water. Treat rubber and plastic hose fittings with silicone.
Step 1
Harvest and prepare the beds
Preserve or dry the last vegetables. Gather windfalls: use the sound fruit and dispose of rotten fruit. Remove dead plants showing signs of disease so fungi do not overwinter in the soil.
After the last herb harvest, cover beds with fleece or mulch. Leave chemical fertiliser and digging until spring: the soil should rest and recover naturally.
Step 2
Prepare the lawn
The lawn should be ready for winter before the hard frosts. Make the last cut about half a centimetre shorter than usual: long blades snap in frost and regrow poorly.
Rake up fallen leaves rather than using a blower vac, which can kill small animals and insects. The leaves then make good insulation for the beds.
Step 3
Inspect and prune trees and shrubs
On diseased plants, remove dead and affected branches and carry out sanitary pruning. Whitewash tree trunks with lime: it protects bark from frost cracks and late-winter sun scald.
Healthy perennials can be left standing: the top growth protects the roots. Shade evergreens, as winter sun dries them out when they cannot draw water from frozen soil.
Step 4
Protect tender plants
Wrap tender plants in fleece, felt or jute. Lift dahlia, gladiolus and begonia tubers and store them somewhere cool and dry.
Earth up standard roses with about 15 cm of soil. Tie ornamental grasses into a bundle so water cannot get into the crown. Bring container plants and some herbs indoors.
Step 5
Drain water and look after equipment
Before the first frosts, empty hoses, water butts, outdoor pipes and pumps, and turn off taps feeding outside. Clear dead plants from the pond and cover it with a net.
Clean tools and furniture thoroughly, dry them and treat them with WD-40 Multi-Use or, for large surfaces, WD-40 Trigger Pro. The WD-40 Smart Straw makes it easy to reach secateur pivots and taps. Treat rubber seals, hoses and their fittings with WD-40 Specialist Silicone so the rubber does not stiffen in the frost.
Tip: Hang tools on the wall of a dry shed rather than leaving them on the ground or a concrete floor: condensation cannot reach the metal, so rust will not appear even during a damp thaw.
What next
Through the winter, check plant covers and equipment after snowfall and thaws and renew the protective coat of WD-40 Multi-Use if needed. By late February you can start preparing the garden for spring.
These uses come from the experience of WD-40 users in many countries. Always follow the instructions and warnings on the product label.
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