Monday 3rd November 2025
Yeo Valley Organic’s Winter Gardening Tips
Nature is slowing down, and the cold is creeping in. But don’t hang up your gardening gloves just yet—there are still plenty of jobs to get on with. We’ve put together our best winter gardening tips, from how to protect your plants and support local wildlife to planning ahead for spring.
1. Get Mulching
Mulch, mulch, mulch. Yes, we know that we said this in the spring, but it’s just as important now. It provides insulation to your plants, reduces soil erosion from heavy rain, and improves soil structure. Some mulches, like RocketGro’s Magic Mulch and Strulch, will also keep away hungry slugs and snails. Your plants will thank you!
2. Create Living Soil
Create healthy soil over the next few months by expanding or creating no-dig beds. Put down sheets of cardboard, which will smother weeds, and then put layers of compost on top. Worms and microbes will then be at work breaking it down into fertile, living soil so that you can plant your veg and flowers in it.
3. Prep the Greenhouse
Insulate the greenhouse walls and roof with bubble wrap (but ensure plants such as winter salads still get enough light by using thinner wrap in their part of the greenhouse). Bubble wrap can also be stored easily throughout the year and reused again and again. You also need to deep-clean the greenhouse to prevent diseases and overwintering pests.
4. Prune Fruit Trees
Once your apple and pear trees have shed all their leaves, they will have entered their dormant period, which makes it easier to see their branches. Prune dead, crossed-over, or damaged branches to promote healthy growth and allow light to reach the centre of the tree and surrounding plants, which will help keep the tree healthy. Wait for summer to prune your plum, cherry and damson trees, to avoid Silver Leaf disease.
5. Protect Your Plants
Protect tender plants such as tree ferns by covering their crowns and wrap your banana’s trunk in fleece. Mulch or place a deep pile of straw over Dahlias. Pop cloches over delicate veg like salad leaves and keep an eye out for pests.
6. Get Your Seedlings Ready for Spring
Get ready for planting in the spring by keeping germinated seedlings in a sheltered cold frame and watch out for pests. You can start sowing them at the tail end of February.
7. Help the Wildlife in your Garden
Leave some seed heads standing as they provide food for birds and some animals, hollow stems can also act as homes for insects like ladybirds over the winter. Also, keep an eye out for hedgehogs, as, although they normally hibernate from October, they may still be out in mild temperatures and may wake up for brief periods in search of food. So, leaving out some cat biscuit wouldn’t go amiss.
We hope these gardening tips keep your garden in tip-top shape over the winter and looking spectacular come the spring. We can’t wait to welcome you back to The Yeo Valley Organic Garden, which will reopen to visitors on Thursday, 9th April 2026. In the meantime, you can come and visit us at our HQ Staff Canteen in Blagdon for a tasty lunch.
