Up here in the suburbs of the Pacific Northwest, it’s only just touching on winter. The other day we had frost on our steps and walkway for the first time. Ah yes, winter. I remember you. The joys of black ice, the careful stepping around suspect areas, the sound of salt hitting the pavement.
However, when you’re looking winter in the face, salting the drive is not always the best option for your garden plants. Rock salt is very good at making it hard for water to freeze. It prevents you from slipping. However, it can also move into your garden beds and disrupt the ecology of your soil. When the salty ice melts, it can move into the surrounding soil, preventing plants from absorbing moisture and nutrients. Salt can also cause metals to leach from the soil.
How can you safeguard your garden soil this winter?
If you get light snow and frost, protect your garden. Make sure that your garden beds have edges, or build raised beds or place planters next to walkways. This way, your prized plants will be out of reach.
Although no deicer product is perfect, you can choose some that are greener than good old sodium chloride. Magnesium chloride is less toxic to plants than rock salt. A little also goes a long way, so keep this in mind while you fling it around the walkway. If you have steel and aluminum garden furniture or railings, be cautious, since magnesium chloride can corrode metals.
Others vow that creating a non-skid surface is the way to go. Use Yak Traks or similar shoe covers to avoid slipping, and make the surface bumpier by placing ashes or a plant-based kitty litter on the walkway. If you don’t want your walkway or driveway to look like a litter pan, you can also use calcium magnesium acetate to break down the ice, then shovel the rest away.
Image Credit: amdavis