The Benefits of Winter Cold in the Garden

Frost on a peach tree

I think it has become fairly common knowledge that there are several benefits of winter cold in the garden.  This may help to offset a portion of any annoyance felt by avid gardeners who would rather be digging around in the soil and basking in the warmth and green of the garden than waiting out the cold and gray until spring.  Even if there are plenty of 'off-season' tasks that can be done and probably need doing, as they were put off until later during the warmer growing months.  This is not meant to be an exhaustive list but the key benefits from my perspective.

Benefit #1 - A Bit of Pest Control

Cold weather can help keep pest numbers under control as the cold will help to kill off a fair amount of overwintering insects like slugs, snails, aphids, etc.  For a more detailed explanation, there's a great article covering how insects are impacted by and also survive cold weather you can read here:  Michigan State University Extension - Field Crops

Benefit #2 - Friable Soil

The cold temperatures and natural process of weathering help to break down dirt clods into a nice, friable soil.  Friable = easily crumbled.

Benefit #3 - Moving Around

If you live in a wet climate and find it hard at times to move around the garden without wading ankle deep in mud, the cold weather will obviously make the ground beneath your feet / wheelbarrow more solid and easier to walk and work on.

Benefit #4 - A Rest and Reset for Plants

There are many temperate region plants that need a cold period to rest and reset.  And there are seeds and hardy bulbs that need a cold period to germinate (cold stratification) or, in the case of hardy bulbs, trigger a biochemical process that sets them up for spring flowering.

Benefit #5 - Fungal spores

Many fungal spores that can build up in the warm, damp conditions of summer gardens are knocked back by prolonged periods of cold weather.

What other benefits (or challenges) have you experienced?

Weedy Pete