Winter Is a Season for Slowing Down
Welcome to the Weekly Edition
This week’s newsletter is inspired by a simple but important question from a student: What does winter really mean here in Southern California? We don’t experience snow or hard freezes the way much of the country does, yet our gardens still move through seasons - and those seasons still matter.
In this issue, we’ll explore what winter looks like in Southern California, how it impacts our gardens, and why winter is best understood as a time of slowing down rather than stopping altogether. We’ll also zoom out and connect this idea of seasonal balance to sustainability in our daily lives, looking beyond the question of what we should buy and toward how we care for what we already have.
For Students
This week in Regenerative Gardening, we will explore the eight principles of regenerative gardening:
Let nature do the work.
Use knowledge as power.
Build relationships.
Produce no waste.
Use appropriate technology.
Consider nature as the model.
Keep your food slow and local.
Ask what you can give, rather than what you can take.
After exploring and discussing each principle, we will look at a few real-world examples of how these principles show up in gardens and landscapes.
Unfortunately, all of the Fundamentals of Sustainability courses and the Wildlife Sanctuary course have been cancelled due to low enrollment. As of this week, the following classes are closed:
Regenerative Gardening – Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. (Palomares Community Center)
Regenerative Gardening – Friday at 10:00 a.m. (Wildlife Sanctuary)
Fundamentals of Sustainability – Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. (San Dimas Senior Citizen Center)
Fundamentals of Sustainability – Friday at 3:30 p.m. (Online)
I will be working on increasing enrollment in these courses for the spring semester. If you are enrolled for the spring and know someone who might enjoy one of these classes, please consider sharing the class information with them. I truly appreciate your support, and I apologize that we didn’t have enough enrollment to keep these classes open this term.
In the Garden – California Winters
Two weeks ago, May Wang left a comment on the newsletter:
“Living in SoCal I am usually confused by the conventional ‘seasons.’ What do we do in the winter? What months are our winter months?”
This week, we’ll explore those questions. What are the winter months in California? What does winter mean for our gardens? And how should that influence what we do - or don’t do - outside?
Winter officially begins on the winter solstice (December 21) and ends with the spring equinox (around March 20). Because of seasonal lag, the coldest part of the year usually doesn’t arrive until mid-January.
Here in Los Angeles, average high temperatures in mid-January hover around 68 degrees. This year has been warmer than normal, with recent days - and the upcoming week - reaching into the low to mid-80s. Compared to many parts of the country, especially to our north and east, this is incredibly mild. Because of this, California gardeners can often do things year-round that simply aren’t possible in places where snow blankets the ground.
Even so, it’s still helpful to follow the natural rhythm of the seasons.
I often explain it this way: winter is to summer what night is to day. Daytime is when most activity happens, but life doesn’t stop at night. Nocturnal animals are active, some flowers bloom at night, and many plants carry out essential processes after dark, from respiration to root growth. The same is true in winter. Spring and summer are the most active seasons, while winter is a quieter, restorative phase.
Winter is a time to slow down. It’s a season for resting, refreshing, and preparing for renewal. Just as we rest at night so we can function during the day, many plants and ecosystems use winter as a reset before the growth of spring.
Last week, we talked about pruning roses. Winter is also the main season for structural pruning deciduous fruit trees, along with several other important garden tasks.
Winter Garden Checklist (Southern California)
Winter isn’t a season of doing nothing. It’s a season of doing different things, often more quietly and thoughtfully.
1) Observation and planning
Winter is one of the best times to observe your garden. With less active growth, it’s easier to see plant structure, spacing issues, sun patterns, and areas that struggled during the warmer months.
Take notes on what thrived, what struggled, and where water pooled or ran off
Notice winter sun and shade patterns (they’re often very different from summer)
Make a short “spring list” instead of trying to fix everything right now
2) Soil care (mulch and compost)
Even when plants slow down, soil life continues. Winter is a great time to protect and feed the soil so it’s ready when plants wake up.
Add compost on top of the soil as a gentle, slow nutrient source
Add mulch on top of the compost to protect the soil surface and reduce evaporation
Think layers, not mixing: compost stays near the surface, mulch stays on top
I usually avoid mixing compost into the soil unless the ground is extremely compacted and clearly lacks life (like worms). And one big rule: never mix mulch into the soil.
3) Selective pruning
Winter is the primary season for structural pruning of many deciduous plants. Without leaves, it’s easier to see branch structure and make thoughtful cuts.
Remove dead, damaged, or crossing branches
Improve airflow and structure (without “butchering” the plant)
Remember: pruning is plant-specific, so look up the timing if you’re unsure
4) Cool-season planting
While growth is slower, many cool-season crops and California natives establish well during winter.
Cooler temperatures reduce stress and transplant shock
Winter rains (when we get them) support establishment
Roots often develop quietly long before you see much top growth
5) Tool and garden maintenance
This is the time for the small, unglamorous work that makes everything easier later.
Clean and sharpen pruners (clean cuts matter)
Check irrigation for leaks or clogged emitters
Organize supplies and make small repairs now, before spring chaos
What Not to Do in Winter
Heavy fertilizing
Most plants aren’t actively pushing growth in winter, so heavy fertilization often goes unused and can even harm soil life or leach away. Winter is about feeding the soil, not forcing plants.
Overwatering
Cooler temperatures and shorter days mean slower water use. Overwatering in winter can lead to root issues, fungal problems, and wasted water. Check soil moisture first - don’t just water out of habit.
Aggressive or out-of-season pruning
Not all plants want winter pruning. Some spring-blooming plants set buds months in advance, and cutting at the wrong time removes flowers before you ever see them. When in doubt, look up the plant first.
Over-aggressive cleaning
I know we all want our gardens to look “clean,” but a few leaves and bits of woody material aren’t the end of the world. Some beneficial organisms overwinter in plant material, and some messiness is part of a living system.
Of course, do remove material that’s clearly diseased or heavily infested. Just remember: everything is situational. Do what’s right for your own space.
Expecting fast results
Winter growth is subtle. Roots may be developing even when nothing seems to be happening above ground. Trust the process.
For those looking for guidance on winter structural pruning for deciduous fruit trees, I highly recommend videos by Tom Spellman, who guest lectured and taught me how to prune fruit trees when I was a student at Mt. San Antonio College. He has several excellent videos on the Dave Wilson Nursery YouTube channel and also appeared last year on the Epic Homesteading channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpYp5de5LlU
Living Sustainably: Consumption, Growth, and Balance
When sustainability comes up in conversation, it’s often framed as a debate about what we should buy. Should we drive gas cars or electric cars? Should homes run on natural gas or electricity? Should we buy this product or that one?
While these questions matter, they sometimes distract us from a more important one:
What can we avoid buying altogether?
We live in a culture deeply oriented around consumption. Instead of asking whether we truly need something, we’re encouraged to ask which option is the “best” or most sustainable. Sometimes, the most sustainable choice is simply not purchasing anything at all.
That said, the economy matters. Infrastructure matters. Jobs matter. Economic stability is one of the three legs of sustainability, alongside environmental health and social well-being. We can’t ignore it.
But we also have to be honest about limits.
We don’t live on an infinite planet. We live on a finite one. Production and consumption cannot increase forever.
Imagine a field with 100 trees. Each year, those trees regenerate a certain amount of wood, fruit, or biomass. If we harvest only what can grow back, the field stays healthy. If we demand increased production every year - no matter what - the system eventually collapses. That’s not a political statement. It’s basic ecology.
Endless consumption and expansion cannot be sustainable. At some point, we have to learn to produce and consume what we need without taking more than systems can recover from.
In practice, that often looks less like buying new things and more like maintaining what we already have. Repairing. Sharing. Using things longer. Letting systems - gardens, homes, and even people - rest when they need to.
Thought of the Week: Not Everything Needs to Grow Right Now
We live in a world that constantly tells us that more is better: more productivity, more growth, more output, more consumption. If something isn’t expanding, we’re often taught to see that as a problem.
Gardens tell a different story.
In winter, healthy gardens slow down. They rest. They shift energy below the surface. Roots grow quietly. Soil organisms do their work unseen. Nothing about this season looks impressive at first glance, yet everything about it is necessary.
The same idea applies beyond the garden.
Sustainability isn’t just about choosing the right products or technologies. It’s also about recognizing limits, practicing restraint, and knowing when enough is enough. Systems - whether ecosystems, economies, or people - don’t break because they rest. They break because they are pushed to grow without pause.
That’s one reason I think winter is such a helpful teacher. It reminds us that “less” isn’t always loss. Sometimes “less” is recovery. Sometimes it’s maintenance. Sometimes it’s wisdom.
Here’s a practical way to apply that idea this week: pick one small thing to maintain instead of replace.
Repair something simple instead of buying a new version
Use what you already have before upgrading
Keep something you enjoy going, instead of adding something new
Or - if you’re running on empty - choose rest on purpose
Because the goal isn’t to become perfect. The goal is to become more aligned: with the rhythms of our lives, with the limits of the planet, and with the reality that healthy systems require rest.
As you move through this season, both in the garden and in daily life, it’s worth asking:
What actually needs to grow right now - and what needs care and rest?
I think I need a little rest right now. I’m going to go take a nap. I’ll see you next week.
