Putting the beds to sleep

October 18, 2026

The garlic went in two weeks ago, about four centimetres deep, and now sits under a layer of straw. The strawberries got a loose cover of spruce branches, which hold snow and let air through.

The perennial bed stays uncut. Seed heads feed the birds, and hollow stems give shelter to insects that will be useful in spring.

Leaves from the birches go straight onto the vegetable beds. By May the worms will have pulled most of them under.