Gardeners Checklist: Here Is What to Do on the Week of Jan. 15

By Ron Kujawski

Though we haven’t had much snow as yet this winter, we’re still a couple of months away from spring and I anticipate that there will be some significant snowfalls. Though I like to think of snow as good, old-fashioned New England winter mulch, here are some relevant tasks for gardeners following a snowfall:

• Remove snow from tree and shrub branches bent down under the weight of snow. There are two techniques often employed for doing this. The first is to whack down hard on the branches with a two by four. I DO NOT recommend that method. Though it may temporarily relieve your frustrations it is very damaging to the plants. The second and preferred approach is to gently lift the branches with a broom stick and shake the snow free of the branches.

• Tamp down or remove snow for at least a few feet around the trunks of thin-barked trees, especially fruit trees. Deep snow provides excellent cover for meadow voles and other mice that gnaw on thin bark, often fatally girdling the tree. Rabbits also gnaw on thin bark of trees, but they work on top of the snow. Though this task should have been done in November, it’s not too late to place a cylinder of fine mesh wire or vinyl tree wrap around the trunks to keep these critters from chewing on the bark.

• Avoid using large amounts of deicing salts containing sodium chloride on driveways and walks that are adjacent to trees, shrubs, and perennials. The accumulation of salt in soil can cause severe injury to plant roots. If using salts, use them sparingly and mix with sand. Also apply the salt prior to snowfall; it takes less salt to prevent ice formation than to melt existing ice. Alternatives to deicing salts include coarse sand and kitty litter (preferably before kitty has used it). Sand and kitty litter do not effectively melt ice but will provide good traction.

• Check trees often for damage to limbs from snow and/or ice. There is no joy sitting in a house without electricity due to a damaged tree limb falling on power lines.

• Wait out winter storms by curling up with a cup of hot chocolate and a good gardening book. 

+ + +

Speaking of curling up with some reading material, I often use stormy days to scan seed and plant catalogs, looking for new or interesting plants. However, I’ve learned not to trust everything I read in these catalogs. Recently I came across an unusual dwarf form of a tropical tree whose fruit I particularly enjoy. The catalog description stated that the tree could be grown indoors in winter and provides fruit twice a year. An internet search yielded data from reputable university sources that said this was not likely to happen. Caveat emptor! Buyer beware!

Ron Kujawski began gardening at an early age on his family's onion farm in upstate New York. Although now retired, he spent most of his career teaching at the UMass Extension Service. He serves on Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Horticulture Advisory Committee. His book, Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook, is available here.