Winter alternatives to pottering in the garden

[Itshotinherebutainttakingoffmyclothes]

I’ve recently started to love pottering in my garden and I’m thinking how much I will miss it over winter. What kind of as and when hobbies do you guys enjoy over winter?

My autumn & winter hobbies include knitting projects whilst listening to audiobooks.

Crochet- the cold motivates you to create something warm

You can still garden in the winter. It's a good time to clear all the dead top growth of perennials, clear leaves, prune certain things, fork over soil etc. as long as the ground isn't frozen. I love wrapping up and being outside in my garden on a winter's day.

Garden Art.....Painting flowers, textile collages, make a garden sculpture. Create a garden scrapbook type stuff.

Does it have to be something entirely different? You can still do gardening but in a form of repotting plants, sorting seeds, taking care of your houseplants, growing herbs on the windowsill, etc. That's what I usually do while also planning possible renovations in the garden for the next season. There are landscaping programs like this one or similar apps that can help with general plans, especially if you're planning some constructions for the next year.

ETA: if you want something not garden-related, it could also be pretty much everything from DIY things (crocheting, soap/candle making, crystal mosaic art) to learning something that's entirely new to you. Maybe look into yoga or dance classes near you, having some movement usually helps me get through the winter months!

Pottering in the greenhouse and shed. Bigger garden projects like moving plants while they are dormant,

There is still work to be done in the garden but can you do some garden projects in the garage/shed?
Make a planter or bug hotel ready for the following season.

My neighbours used to say our garden looked lovely and yet we never did more than mow the path apparently.

It is because we did it all whilst they were tucked up in front of the fire.

Unless it is hammering it down, i do some gardening every day, and when it is hammering it down, i put my waterproofs on, hood up, headphones on and go round with my stand up weed puller and get weeds in the lawn out.

I'd agree there's plenty to be done in the Autumn and Winter. I'm already noting areas that need attention as soon as there is some moisture in the ground. Quite a bit of pruning to do, mulching, emptying and turning compost heaps, ordering seeds are a few things of the top of my head.

I autumn sow my hardy annuals and perennials plus there are bulbs to be planted, mulching and pruning to be done so autumn and winter are my busiest gardening times I would say with potting on and caring for seedlings. Spring and summer is about enjoying the benefits of my hard work.

I only have a small “yarden” with a few raised planters and lots of pots. I will have a read up about what I can do over winter .

Knitting and making crochet blankets, mending and darning clothes, reading and listening to radio dramas. Making preserves such as chilli jam, bramble jelly and sloe gin. Generally pretending i live in a little house in the prairie rather than a tiny flat in london.

I also have a yarden and there really isn't that much to do in the winter. I basically ignore it after a tidy around November and do a massive clear up in March . I do yarn hobbies all year round so that goes into overdrive in Winter sling with marmalade and candle making.

I don’t leave for work till 8 so I can still manage a small amount of morning pottering but evenings are the issue as that’s when I do most of my gardening from about March to October. I go to the gym and exercise classes more in winter, more inclined to do things like pub quizzes too. I also crochet but am not very good at sitting still to do it. I do try and fit in a bit of garden pottering at the weekend through the year, but really for me it scales right back once it’s dark after work.

My mum was recently in hospital with her dementia, she was given a lovely, small, crocheted blanket that had been donated by a volunteer who supplied the ward with them.
It meant such a lot to us to think someone had thought about dementia patients at the end of their life and it made her hospital bed look so much more homely and less scary.
She never made it out and passed away on the ward, but that small, cheery token from an anonymous person remains large in my memory of that difficult time.

My winter hobbies are buying seeds and propagating houseplants!

Plan for next year and buy seeds

I work in a hospital where volunteer group sends these in, they are so appreciated by the elderly patients. I frequently get one for patients who are complaining they are cold (thin cotton gowns and plastic chairs are not comfy and hospital blankets are so thin), I'll fold them into a triangle to make a shawl and wrap them up and always makes them smile especially when I say they can take them home (one patient use for infection control purposes obviously).