Having a garden bench planter combines the comfort and convenience of an outdoor bench with the infinite growing possibilities of a planter box. These wonderful innovations can hold anything from flowers to vegetables, shrubs and herbs. But don't just limit your imagination to the popular growing seasons of spring and summertime. A lot of major planting can (and should) actually be done in fall and winter. Here are some tips for cool weather gardening.
What to plant in your autumn garden bench planter:
The fall is actually quite an active time for growing. As such, you should take the same pains that would for springtime planting, namely adequate pruning, fertilizing, and the clearing away of old and dead plants.
Believe it or not, you can plant a good many vegetables in autumn, including cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, spinach, silverbeet, broccoli, beans, leeks, onions, potatoes, garlic. You might even have some stray tomato plants left over from your summer gardening. Don't waste and throw away green fruit or dig up your tomato plant while it is still bearing fruit. Green tomatoes can be picked and ripened indoors (a sun lamp or paper bag work especially well), and if not there's always those famous fried green tomatoes.
Two other things to be planted in autumn that look really neat in a garden bench planter are small trees and shrubs. Small evergreens and conifers, azaleas, rhododendrons, etc. can all be transplanted in the fall.
Last but not least, autumn is the season for planting bulbs. Flower bulbs require a long time to get going, so if planted in the
fall they will be ready to bloom in late spring sometime. During winter, the mulch and snow cover actually acts as a natural insulator of sorts that keeps the bulbs from freezing. Some popular flowers that come from bulbs include the following: Dutch irises, freesias, ixias, daffodils, jonquils, tulips, anemones, ranunculus, agapanthus, alstroemeria, and lilies.
What to plant in your winter garden bench planter:
Believe it or not, you can actually plant things in the wintertime. In fact, January is the ideal month to begin planning what is known as a cool season vegetable garden. These plants are ones that grow and sometimes thrive in cooler temperatures, even limited amounts of frost.
For instance, in the northern states, where the weather is cooler, cool season vegetables flourish. In other areas, these plants will survive the chilly days of early spring and late autumn. In fact, some vegetables are even better with a touch of frost: the starch in parsnips will convert to sugar after a frost, making the roots sweeter, while the flavor of Brussels sprouts, kale and collards is enhanced by a light frost.
To actually plant during the winter, it's best to start these types of plants from seeds and grow them indoors for 6-8 weeks before the last frost. If you are transplanting a larger, already sprouted plant, you can usually get away with planting it a few weeks before the last frost date.
Some good winter planting ideas include the following: kohlrabi, kale, lettuce, collards, snow peas, broccoli, arugula, beets, carrots, English peas, onions, potatoes, radishes, spinach, Swiss chard, turnip and cabbage.
Author Resource:-
Todd Arend is a freelance writing professional whose expertise covers a variety of areas, including patio and backyard furniture, landscaping and design. He regularly writes about Garden Bench Planter and Planter Boxes.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://cdnimages.articlefriendly.net/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
