Easy and Productive Wintertime Projects for Gardeners

Easy and productive wintertime projects for gardeners includes anything from homemaking tasks to self-improvement ideas to pre-garden planning. Read along for what I do in the wintertime when I have a break from the garden.

It’s wintertime here in Wisconsin, so what’s a gardener to do when the snow is flying?!

Well, I keep myself busy since it’s all hands on deck during gardening season. We have a short growing season in Zone 4b so besides attending to my plants, not much else gets accomplished. Can anyone else in a cold weather climate relate?!

That said, by the time growing, harvesting and preserving is done and the snow comes down, I’m ready for a break.

Typically my off-season is split into two categories of tasks.

First, I focus on resting and recovering myself physically, then I recover my home.

Second, I prioritize pre-planting tasks, which we’ll cover as you read along.

Let’s dive in and see what productive wintertime projects gardeners can do to keep busy!

What Are Some Productive Wintertime Projects for Gardeners Around the Home?

Deep Clean Your Home

By the time late October or early November rolls around, my home is a mess from all the goodness of summertime. While it’s best to keep up with basic cleaning, it’s not always easy to do. There’s only so many hours in a day and planting, weeding and watering tend to take up most of our time.

When the last jars of canned goods are placed in the pantry, I first recommend the basic cleaning that may or may not have been neglected over the last several months. Then, continue with deep cleaning room by room.

If you like lists, make a master list of the rooms that need cleaning. The following will give you some ideas.

Deep Cleaning Checklist

• Take a duster all along the perimeter where the ceiling meets the walls and sweep away any cobwebs in the corners.

• Disassemble light fixtures and ceiling fans as best as you can and scrub away fly droppings and caked on dust. Hand wash any appropriate parts and reassemble.

• Dust on top of cupboards and bookcases.

• Wash curtains and dust the curtain rods or dust window blinds with a wash rag and dusting oil.

• Wash all windows. A straight spritz of white vinegar wiped down with newspaper and paper toweling make your windows sparkle.

• Wipe down all baseboards.

• Wipe down inside all drawers and cupboards, closets, etc.

• Mop or vacuum floors.

Declutter & Simplify Your Home

If deep cleaning your home or even doing the basic cleaning tasks every week is a source of frustration for you, it’s likely your home needs decluttering. I will link to a few of my favorite decluttering queens whom I follow on social media.

You’ll find inspiration and life changing tips. Your home should be a source of calm and relaxation, not one that increases your stress level.

Decluttering during winter is one of the most productive wintertime projects for gardeners.

Becky’s Favorite Decluttering Experts

• Dawn, from the Minimal Mom
• Dana, A Slob Comes Clean
• Cass, from Clutterbug
• Toni Hammersley, A Bowl Full of Lemons

Home Improvement Projects

Winter is the perfect time for any indoor home improvement projects. That could be anything from something complicated to something simple.

Perhaps you’ve been wanting to replace carpeting, repaint or remodel a room, maybe buy new furniture. Now is the time while you are not distracted with multiple gardening tasks and food preserving.

Collect Canning Jars and Lids

Another good productive wintertime project for gardeners is to collect canning jars and lids. Whether that means buying them at Costco or finding them at rummage sales, now is the time.

Don’t wait until the middle of canning season. Depending on where you live, you might not be able to find the size or amount of jars you need to can all your produce. Buy enough regular and wide mouth lids in the off-season as well for the same reason.

Stock Homemade Convenience Food

When you’ve finished with deep cleaning and decluttering your home, prepare your own convenience food.

If you don’t want to rely on the grocery store, but still want quick and easy go-to meals, winter is the perfect time to stock your pantry and freezers. Pressure can your own homemade soups and chili’s and prepare lots of freezer meals.

When garden season starts, your pantry will be well stocked for all those long, hot planting and weeding days when you don’t want to even think about meal planning or cooking.

Another simple idea: batch cook several homemade pizzas and throw the individual slices into the freezer. It’s quick and easy, yet healthy without all the toxins of a store bought pizza.

One of the best productive wintertime projects for gardeners is to strengthen your bread making skills. Whether it’s sourdough or regular yeast products, find a master dough recipe that you can whip up quick all year round.

Preserve Harvest Items in Freezer Storage

Another productive wintertime project is to can those items you put in the freezer to save time during harvesting. Examples include apples, pears, strawberries, grapes, tomatoes, etc.

Applesauce and pear sauce can be made now during the winter as well as jam or jelly from the strawberries and grapes. Pasta and pizza sauce can be made with the tomatoes. Be sure to check out my favorite preserving recipes below!

How to Make Low-Sugar Strawberry Jam

Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar | Healthy, Simple and Frugal

How to Make Homemade Shrub | A Dye-Free Beverage Flavoring

Easy Homemade Pectin for Jam

Start a New Hobby

A hobby is the perfect thing to do for a wintertime project for the serious gardener. Either resume one that you enjoy such as reading or crocheting or start something new like canvas painting or sewing.

I love the boutique brand of paint from Debi’s Design Diary called DIY Paint. This winter, I’ll be sharpening my canvas painting skills!

Start an Exercise Regimen

It’s no secret, I’m very passionate about a healthy lifestyle and that includes fitness. The responsibilities of life are many, but a strong, fit body is crucial for overall wellness.

I have struggled to maintain a workout routine during garden season in the past, but this year I’m more determined than ever to keep up with it during the season. If you start now in the winter, you’ll have good momentum going into the summer and be more inspired to keep up the routine.

I have a gym membership at the local YMCA to lift weights, but I also have the Les Mills equipment to do their workouts at home too. I highly encourage you to check out Les Mills. There’s a workout for everyone!

What Productive Wintertime Projects for Gardeners Prepare for Next Season?

Diagram Your Garden Layout

January is a good time to start preparing for the upcoming garden season. Make a list of everything you’d like to grow from veggies to herbs, flowers and even fruit trees you’d like to plant.

Then, draw a diagram of where you’d like to plant everything. Be sure to include any raised beds and pots in addition to in-ground spaces.

Once you know what and where you want to plant things, you can continue with the planning process.

Collect Seed Catalogs

Next, collect seed catalogs and decide what varieties of each type of vegetable or flower you’d like to plant. Get those ordered so you have the appropriate amount of time to cold stratify seeds if needed and seed start at the right time as well.

Unless you have a specific variety of plant you like, I highly encourage only planting open-pollinated or heirloom seeds. You can only save seed from an heirloom variety and seed saving is an essential survival and money saving skill to practice.

Educate Yourself During Wintertime

Another productive wintertime project for gardeners is education. Improving your gardening skills saves you time, money and frustration and helps you produce healthier, nutrient-rich produce.

Topics to learn include soil health and proper composting, troubleshooting pest and other damage issues, proper plant spacing, seed saving and more.

Find online educators who live in your state or gardening zone so you learn the most helpful information for your garden.

I also highly recommend checking out The School of Traditional Skills. This online educational platform has courses on all things homesteading and traditional living related including many gardening topics. It is well worth the money invested and you won’t be disappointed!

Also, if you are in gardening Zone 4b, check out MIGardener. I have learned a lot from Luke since he is located in the same growing zone as myself.

Cold Stratify Seeds

Cold stratifying seeds is critical for any plant variety that needs cold to reproduce the following year. Generally, that means all perennials such as lavender and anything in the allium family including onions and garlic need to be cold stratified.

Start Seeds Indoors

Seed starting is an important skill to learn. You’ll save money and it assures true self-sufficiency. As I write this, I’m still improving on this skill, but I’m eager to keep learning.

Work backwards from your last expected frost date and start seeds accordingly. Flowers tend to take the longest to start growing, so typically they are started first in February.

From there, any early spring, cool weather crops are started next. This includes brassicas such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. Beets are also considered a cool weather crop, but root vegetables should be directly sowed in the ground. Tomatoes should be started about eight weeks before outdoor planting.

These are some of the most common wintertime projects for gardeners I do to pass the time until the next season comes around.

Gardening is overwhelming the first few years, but there becomes a certain rhythm to each season throughout the year.

These are a few of my productive wintertime projects for gardeners that encourage preparation and focus all year long.

If you have any additional ideas, leave a comment below!

Blessings!

Becky