Put your Garden to Bed for the Winter
Just because you’re not growing vegetables in an area,
it doesn’t mean you do nothing to improve the soil.
Rake on the Riches The cheapest way to improve
your soil is to rake the leaves falling from nearby trees over
your garden bed several inches thick. This keeps rain from
washing away nitrogen from your soil. It also serves as food
for the worms you want to thrive in your soil.
Plant a Cover Crop that adds nutrients to the soil,
especially nitrogen. That’s why many gardeners plant
beans and peas to winter over. Or your soil may benefit
from seeds that reach deep into our clay soil. Check out
the various cover crop seed offerings at our locally owned
and operated nurseries.
Last month we mentioned adding lime now where
you plan to put your tomatoes next summer.
Plant Crops to Grow Food in the Winter
With the use of hoop houses that are easy to make, you can extend the growing season. Even though this
hoop house is shown with its ends closed, most of the time during our mild winters, you can leave the ends to let the air circulate around the delicate greens you can
grow inside, like hardier lettuces, spinach, arugula, etc.
Also now’s the time to plant garlic that will winter over and
be ready to harvest around the Fourth of July next year. In
fact, lots of root crops, like onions, leeks, turnips, and beets,
grow well uncovered in the winter. Hardy greens like
broccoli, kale, swiss chards, and brussels sprouts also don’t
need to be covered to thrive in our winters.
So, try out winter gardening, realizing that from November 4
through February 5 we have only 10 hours of daylight or less
which means that plant growth will be on the slow side.
