Wintering Plants in Pots

  You can make these beds any size you require and just about anywhere that water doesn't stand in winter. A protected location is always best; one that isn't subject to the full brunt of Mother Nature's winter fury. I like to keep mine about three or four feet (1 - 1.21m) deep so that I can reach all the pots from one side. Of course, if you plan it so you can get around all four sides, they can be deeper. It's easier if you set pots as you fill the bed. Put in a layer of your material; set out a row of pots and pour in some more material, working it in around the pots; repeat until you've filled the bed.

 I've got several of these "temporary" beds that have been in use for nearly ten years! I used to winter all my pots in these beds, until the winter we had an ice storm that lasted for a week or so. This is unusual in my area, so I wasn't prepared and did nothing to further protect my pots. As a result, the ice froze the pots into the sand and mulch; the sun came out and melted the ice in the top of the pots, filling them with water that just sat at the crowns of the plants for days. I couldn't loosen the pots to tip out the water, and trying to bale it out didn't work. Needless to say, many plants took severe umbrage to this and died. I think I lost about three quarters of my pots that winter.

 If your weather is likely to throw ice storms at you or sudden snow melts, you will need to rig a cover for your beds, which basically turns them into a cold frame (more about these later).

Piles & Wrapping

 Large pots - 5 gallon nursery pots and larger - can be a bit of a problem. I have a few trees that haven't found a home yet in this size pot. Digging them in is a lot of work and it's not really practical to make a plunge bed to accommodate them. I handle these in two ways:

Wood Chip Pile

 I try to have at least one wood chip pile sitting around rotting. If you haven't had any trees taken down and chipped, you can often get local tree services to dump chips for you

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