Every article on How to Winterize Garden starts in one of two places, a question someone asked me or a problem in my own garden. Before anything gets published, it goes through the same process.
My Garden Comes First
I test methods in my own zone 5 yard before I recommend them. Some tests take one afternoon, like timing how long it takes to drain and store three hoses. Others run for several seasons, like comparing shredded leaves and straw as winter mulch over my strawberry bed.
My garden notebooks go back to 2009. They record frost dates, soil temperatures, planting dates, harvests and losses. When I write “in my garden” or “over three winters,” that notebook is the source.
Facts Come From Primary Sources
One yard is not proof. Frost dates, hardiness ratings, pest life cycles, chemical safety and anything else a reader could check come from a primary source.
I rely mostly on university extension publications, the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, seed company trial data and the label on the product itself. I read the original page, not a summary of it, and I link to it next to the claim it supports.
Experience, Fact and Opinion Stay Separate
Sourced facts carry a link. Results from my own yard are described as mine, with the season and the conditions. Opinions are labeled as opinions and come with a reason, such as my habit of leaving most perennial stems standing over winter.
If something is unknown or still debated among researchers, I say so instead of picking a side and calling it settled.
What I Will Not Do
- I will not invent studies, statistics, quotes or experts.
- I will not claim a credential I do not hold. I have no horticulture degree or professional certification. My knowledge comes from ten years at a garden center, eighteen years in my own garden and a lot of reading.
- I will not recommend using a pesticide, fertilizer or tool in a way that goes against its label.
- I will not accept payment to recommend a product or change a conclusion. My advertising disclosure explains how ads support the site.
Keeping Articles Current
Gardens change, and so does the research. I review seasonal articles before their season comes around each year, so fall cleanup guides get checked in August and seed-starting guides in January. Each updated article shows the date it was last reviewed.
Corrections
I get things wrong sometimes. When a reader spots an error, I check it against the source, fix the article and add a short note at the bottom explaining what changed and when. Small typo fixes do not get a note, but anything that changes advice does.
If you notice a mistake or have a result from your own garden that contradicts mine, you can send me a correction or a gardening question and I will look into it. Some of my best updates started as reader email.
