Get that garden prepped

You may not be into winter gardening, but don’t forget that this is the time to start getting the soil shaped up for spring plantings. Prepping the garden means infusing your plot with nutrient-rich organic matter and then aerating the area.

Many gardeners do this on their own by maintaining a compost pile or simply by tossing fruit and vegetable scraps—or yard waste—into the plot. But don’t fret if you haven’t been diligent over the past several months. Simply head to your local nursery and pick up organic matter: organic mixed fertilizers, mulch and sea products. Aged steer manure is always a good and inexpensive option. Local worm farms are also a great place for amendments—and not just worms, but also their castings.

Avoid damaging the area by digging into the dirt only after we have a couple of days of sunshine, when the soil is moist but not wet.