Planting the Plains: Winter Wildlife in the Garden

By Anthony Reardon

Published December 12, 2025 at 6:00 AM CST

Wildlife in your garden in the winter might not sound so bad, but most of it won't be invited. So what to do?

Since most of us don't spend time in our gardens during the winter, it's easy to forget to keep an eye on them. But doing so can really help you notice invasions from pests and other issues well before you're ready to plant in the spring. This week, we'll talk about some things to look for, and what to do about them!

Tags

Planting the Plains Planting the Plains

Anthony Reardon

Anthony Reardon is the Horticulture – Small Farms Extension Agent for Johnson County, Kansas.

See stories by Anthony Reardon

HPPR Features

Planting the Plains: Gifts for Gardeners

Anthony Reardon

Just because it's cold out doesn't mean you can't be thinking about your garden...or someone else's garden. Help the gardeners in your life with thoughtful gardening gift ideas!
HPPR Features

Planting the Plains: More Benefits in Dormancy

Anthony Reardon

At the end of the season, it can be tempting to clean up your entire garden of all detritus from old plants, but leaving the seed pods, plant stems and other materials can have some benefits, and this week, we'll talk about how to make dormancy work for you!
HPPR Features

Planting the Plains: Cleaning Your Lawn Tools for Winter

Anthony Reardon

You use them all year long to help tend your garden, so why wouldn't you take care of them, and make sure that they can take care of you? I'm talking about your lawn tools, of course, and this week, we'll talk about how you can clean and store yours for the winter!
HPPR Features

Planting the Plains: Acclimating Houseplants

Anthony Reardon

Most of us like to give our plants a treat during the warmer weather, and so we'll bring them outside to soak up some extra sun. But of course, the weather will cool again at some point, and the process of moving a plant indoors and outdoors should be done with some consideration of how the conditions will be changing. We'll talk about a few things to think about in this week's episode!
HPPR Features

Planting the Plains: Noting the Learning Moments

Anthony Reardon

At the end of the season, it's never a bad idea to spend some time reviewing what worked for you and what didn't, and actually making some notes on which varieties overproduced or disappointed you. You won't necessarily remember in future years, and over time, this practice will give you a fair bit of data points on which to help base your future research. We'll talk more about how to keep track of this information in this week's episode!