Prep for the cold

Are your pots, tools and garden spaces ready for winter? Bob reveals how to make sure you’re ready for the big chill

- Bob Flowerdew

IT ALWAYS makes sense to prepare for a cold winter. So before the arrival of frosts hard enough to damage them, make sure you empty watering cans, sprayers, and so on. Never leave hoses with water in them – one hard frost, and they may rupture. Be especially vigilant with an inexpensive thin plastic hosepipe, as this gets so brittle when cold that it shatters if moved, so put it away somewhere safe.

If you have a pool or pond, float a ball in it as this bobbing will keep water from freezing and it also allows noxious gases to escape.