By the middle of December, most of us have had a killing frost, and there may be a blanket of white stuff on the ground. While garden activity settles down for a long winter nap this time of year, there are still a few things to be done. Between the holidays, stuffing ourselves with food, naps on the couch under a blanket, and visiting friends and family, don't forget about a few winter gardening tasks. 

Indoors Activities

Much of our winter gardening efforts are indoors, which is not always bad with cold weather. Besides planning next year's garden and ordering seeds (did you see our new spring digital catalog?), there are other tasks to be done in winter that make gardening time in spring less of a hassle and more of a hobby.

Cold stratifying perennial seeds

Quite a few of our perennial favorites need a period of cold to bring their seeds out of dormancy so they will germinate. In nature, many plants developed this need to prevent their seeds from sprouting too early, like in autumn, and being killed off by the approaching winter. Before planting these seeds, we need to mimic the cold exposure. It's called cold stratification.

The cold stratification is easy–the hard part is remembering to do it! While annuals like broccoli, sunflowers, or zinnias don't need the cold exposure, many perennial flowers do. Coneflowers, Rudbeckia, lupines, delphiniums, and more all need the frigid treatment. As a rule, perennials native to areas with cold winters will likely need stratification.

You can accomplish the necessary cold treatment in the refrigerator or by winter sowing outdoors. If you plan on using the refrigerator route, you'll need to start early. Some seeds need 30 days, and others germinate best with 60 days or more of exposure. If you planned on starting those seeds in March, that means putting them in the fridge with the holiday leftovers.

Get winter seed sowing done

As mentioned earlier, winter sowing is an easy way to accomplish cold stratification. We have an article with more detail about winter sowing, but the gist is allowing nature to do the work for you while saving space indoors. The seeds will germinate in spring when the timing is right without much input from you. Once they've popped up, simply transplant them to larger containers or cells. 

But winter sowing doesn't work if you wait until spring. Grab those milk jugs or other containers, get some winter sowing done while you watch the Rose Parade, and set them outside to let winter do the work for you. 

Start long lead time seeds like lisianthus, lavender, and peppers

Some seeds take their own sweet time to get moving and grow quite slowly for the first few weeks or months. While we often get in the seed-starting mood about 6-8 weeks before our last spring frosts, a few plants like lavender, lisianthus, thyme, and even peppers can use more time to get a move on. 

It seems too early, but 12 weeks out from March 15th is mid-December. Find your last frost date by zip code, and count backward from there. 

Do a welfare check on stored bulbs, tubers, squash, and other produce

A few weeks or a couple months ago, depending on your location, we gathered our potatoes, carrots, butternut and Blue Hubbard squashes, dahlia tubers, and gladiolus bulbs and stored them for the winter. If you're like me, it's easy to forget to check on them as the holiday season gets busy. 

Now is the time to pop down to the basement or out into the garage (or dark, cool closet) and check on them. They should look firm and healthy. If they are starting to shrivel, add a bit of moisture by spritzing them with a mist bottle. Discard any that appear to be molding or rotting, and give them a bit more airflow if they're damp. 

Remember to keep any stored produce away from apples and pears, as the ethylene released by the apples will hasten the overripening and spoilage of other fruits and vegetables. Check out our tips for storing onions here and our guide for other storage crops like beets, potatoes, carrots, and squash here.

Outdoor tasks

Plant tulips and other fall bulbs you forgot about (if the ground isn't frozen)

It happens. We buy a bag of tulips or daffodils, then they get set on a shelf and forgotten about. Like perennial seeds, many bulbs need a period of cold dormancy to set a flower in spring. Otherwise, they may sprout but not flower or just not sprout at all. 

If your ground isn't frozen, go ahead and get those forgotten bulbs in the ground. It isn't as good as planting them in the fall, but much better than not planting them until spring or at all. Don't forget to add a bit of red pepper flakes or diluted hot sauce if you normally have issues with rodents eating your bulbs.

Check rabbit guards and fencing 

Hungry rabbits, mice, deer, and other critters can damage or even kill young trees and shrubs. Their favorite game is to peel the tender bark off the stems, killing the plant. Or, in the case of deer and rabbits, sometimes nibble the plant right down to the ground. 

Check on your rabbit-repelling measures, or install some if you haven't already. Small circles of hardware cloth buried an inch or two in the ground and held up by a fencepost can work well for protecting those young apple trees, lilacs, and hydrangeas.

Reapply mulch

Strong winter winds can easily blow mulch off of perennial plants, exposing them to the next wave of frigid temperatures. If your first layer of mulch is missing in action, apply some more, even if it's over a thin layer of snow. 

Use old fencing, bird netting, or even a few runs of twine to help hold it down until it settles and stays put. If your initial mulch layers have flattened out, adding more is okay and encouraged. Flattened and compacted mulch doesn't insulate as well. 

Gather scattered garden tools for cleaning and sharpening

Winter pruning season is almost upon us, and both you and your plants will be happier if your shears are sharp and clean. Rust loves to set in during the winter, especially in damp climates. And those expensive pruners you bought can be darn hard to find when you're ready to use them if they got placed in the bucket with some garden stakes, left in a pocket of a jacket, or set on a shelf while you were distracted. 

Locate all your gardening tools and clean them well, removing old soil, crusty bits, and rust. Hot, soapy water and a stiff brush work well for shovels, hoes, rakes, and other large tools. A bit of steel wool can remove rust and schmoo. 

Lastly, as a reward for accomplishing all that work, settle in with your garden journal and a hot cup of cocoa or tea. If you've fallen a bit behind on the entries, now is better than later to try to catch up and add what you can remember. If you took pictures of your garden in the summer, look through your phone to prompt your memory. Use the lessons about what grew well, what didn't get enough sun or water, and what you thought you'd like but didn't when planning your new garden for spring!