Preparing the Garden for Winter

Ahh. That time of the year when the beautiful colors of summer have faded and we are left with a monochromatic landscape. I like the change of season and enjoy the rest of work from the summer months. Yet I miss the splashes of purples, pinks and oranges that I tuck in my garden between the eggplants, beans and tomatoes. I am keeping the back 1/2 of the plot for dye plants. Last summer I put in fox glove, marigolds and geraniums for the sole purpose of dyeing. Unfortunately I did not get to use any of them. I actually ended up loving the colors too much and did not want to cut them!
Back to garden preparation...I am late getting my garden prepared for winter. I was going to start this morning but I was too cold. When the temperature rises to about 50 F this afternoon I will pull out all the dead plants. I then typically spread a layer of new compost from the huge pile that I have written about in previous blogs. I cover the garden with tarps and place some of the fire pit logs on top to hold them in place over the winter. This system works pretty well. By the time we can actually plant in Michigan (which is about May 20th) the soil under the tarps is weed free. I just hoe it a bit and rake it. Sometimes I add more compost and then I plant my veges. I make a diagram of the garden and order all the plants during the winter. I have tried seeds and started them in the basement with lamps..Way too much work for me. Plus I sometimes forget to water the seedlings. I decided plants are the preferred route for me. Once I have planted the plants I usually place straw in a fairly thick layer all over the garden. It helps keeps weeds down and to retain water. Then I put my yard art in and voila..ready for summer.
I also have a few currants and some blueberry bushes that I need to take care of too. They keep being eaten by the deer or the occasional goat escapee. Grr. So I think this year I am going to keep them fenced. They are still small and never get a chance to grow. Their branches must be really tasty.
Hopefully it will take me only a couple of hours to get this job done. I want to spin this afternoon!