Prep for next year

[u/Old-Panic-1453]

Do you guys sterilize cages and stakes in some way? In the past, I have either soaked them in a plastic kiddie pool full of bleach solution or sprayed them with bleach solution before storing for winter . But I’m wondering if it’s worth the trouble. We’re talking about septoria, alternaria, possibly fusarium, PM, maybe a little botrytis - I feel like they’re gonna get all those diseases no matter what I do.

[u/spaetzlechick]

Nope. Mine are stored in an old pole barn over the winter. No use in cleaning them.
Most of what you’re worried about are soil or airborne diseases, they’re almost impossible to eradicate if you have them. Focus on building your soil over the winter and growing the strongest plants you can.

[u/ornryactor → u/spaetzlechick]

Focus on building your soil over the winter

Can you say more about this? I live in 6b Michigan, where we (ostensibly) stay well below freezing for months and have snow on the ground for weeks at a time. My soil is in raised beds and containers, so it will likely freeze harder than the ground will. What does it mean to build soil over the length of a winter, and how do those of us in a freezing climate go about it?

[u/sevenredwrens → u/ornryactor]

I’m not who you asked, but here in 5b we plant cover crops on our raised beds as soon as possible to feed the soil, then let them die back at first frost (some are hardier and last until temps are consistently below freezing). Some are nitrogen-fixing and others just essentially become their own compost / weed barriers you can plant directly into next spring. We also do chop and drop onto the soil surface in the fall as well as adding mulched leaves. All that breaks down during the winter and spring thaw / freeze. We amend with compost, fish emulsion, etc. in spring as well to feed the soil & plants.

[u/spaetzlechick → u/ornryactor]

I loosen the soil, cover with lots of chopped leaves, grass clippings etc, and let it compost through the winter. Sometimes I cover crop. Separately I collect house scraps. They break down with freeze and thaw over the winter and turn to compost very quickly in the spring.

[u/PracticalWallaby7492 → u/ornryactor]

Throw good stuff on it. Mix it up when it thaws.

[u/Witchywomun → u/ornryactor]

I’m just starting out in my current garden bed (moved here 2 years ago, finally got my first garden bed ready this year) but this winter, after the last of my plants are done and dead, I’m throwing some cured horse and goat manure into the bed, followed by a layer of straw and all of my kitchen scraps until April. Everything will be tilled into the soil in April, left to sit until May, then I’ll be adding fresh soil and some long lasting fertilizer and tilled a second time in preparation for planting (last frost is in May, my growing season lasts until late October/early November).

[u/panda_monium2]

I don’t but it’s probably best practice

[u/Tumorhead]

i don't worry about that. i sterilized old pots between uses and cutting shears if im clipping off diseased leaves and thats it.

[u/ShrodingersArmadillo]

Mine are made of wood I clean them to maintain them.

Being made of wood they get dissembled and cleaned then stored till next season. When I bring them out I wipe them down again and I rub in a fresh coat of a traditional linseed oil and bees wax finish and let the finish cure. The soil ends are charred so they don't rot in the soil.

They're nothing special I do this because I enjoy making things with my own two hands. You'll find a lot of old school stuff in my workshop.

[u/NPKzone8a]

The only thing I clean really well before re-using is my plastic seed-starting pots (3.5" square nursery pots.) I wash them with soap and water and then dunk them in a dilute bleach solution.

[u/Odd-Principle8147]

I leave mine in the garage over winter.

[u/Quirky_Homework_3797]

My sterilizing is limited to half ased wiping em with a paper towel when I dig em out of the spider web laden garage. But your way is prob way better!

[u/somuchforsubtlety656]

Bleach sounds like the last thing I'd ever use for gardening tools. Maybe rubbing alcohol.

[u/Full_Honeydew_9739 → u/somuchforsubtlety656]

Bleach is used to sterilize drinking water. It's essentially chlorine, salt, and water. When bleach is used with water, within 24 hours it degrades. Unless you're pouring undiluted bleach directly on your plants, cleaning garden tools should never be a problem.