The last tomato has been picked, the dead vines are gone, and your raised garden bed is finally empty. It may seem logical to leave the soil alone until spring, but bare soil doesn’t necessarily benefit from spending several months exposed to rain, wind, weeds, and repeated temperature changes. Covering an empty bed can help protect the soil you’ve already spent money and time improving while potentially making spring garden preparation easier. The confusing part is deciding whether that means mulch, compost, a cover crop, cardboard, or the plastic tarp you’ve already got in the garage. Before winterizing raised garden beds, here’s what to put over the soil—and what you may want to leave off.
