Overwinter
/OH-ver-WIN-ter/🧑🌾 Cultivation● Basic
Also known as: winter over, winter protection, cold protection
The process of protecting plants, seeds, or organisms through winter cold. For gardeners, overwintering may involve bringing tender plants indoors, applying heavy mulch, using cold frames, or wrapping plants in burlap. Seeds and bulbs overwinter naturally in the ground, with cold stratification often being necessary for spring germination. Some insects and pathogens also overwinter in soil or plant debris, which informs garden sanitation practices.
Etymology
Old English ofer (over) + winter (winter)
Example
“Gardeners in zone 6 often overwinter their fig trees by wrapping them in burlap and insulation before the first hard frost.”