Growers and Grocers

It may seem like the season to grow food is coming to an end, but really it’s just time to plant some cool weather loving veggies. It can be disheartening to see those heirloom tomatoes go, but I’ll be glad to have more lettuce, arugula, and broccoli again.

I am inspired by Eliot Coleman’s book Four Season Harvest. I feel like if he can do it in Maine, I should be able to do it too. He also has a great article posted on his website that you should check out – A Garden for All Seasons.

My farmers’ market goes longer than most, but eventually I’ll have to go a few months without my Saturday trip. I have to admit that I like the idea of ‘shopping’ in my backyard instead of a chain store that may not have any local produce.

This year is my first full-fledged try at a fall/winter garden. Last year we had such a drought here, that I went ahead and let the bunnies have my seedlings. But this year is going to be different. In my backyard, I have to put bird netting over my beds if I want to get my share. It may not be as pretty, but I actually get to eat some of the food I plant!

When you decide to plant your fall/winter plants, one of the first things you’ll want to do is check your local extension office for information for your area. The USDA site has listings for many US extension offices on their website. I got some great info for North Carolina from NC State University, and I’m sure your state will have a growers guide as well. Mine provided a fall planting guide and an article on growing a fall garden in particular.

This year I’ll be planning a few varieties of lettuce, Swiss chard, collards, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, Chinese cabbage, arugula, carrots and maybe more if I can fit it all in. Part of my evil plan is to use row covers over my raised beds and produce food all winter.

Even in the coldest places, you can create a mini greenhouse over your raised beds by using windows, or heavy plastic secured to the ground. Below are links to a few do-it-yourself cold frame plans. You want to make sure the plants in your cold frame don’t get too hot, so you will need to prop open the lid when it gets above 40 degrees and remove it completely at the 50 degree mark. If you live in a super cold area, you can always cover the cold frame with blankets or newspaper when the temperatures dip down below 20 degrees.

• HGTV Cold Frame Savvy
• Do It Yourself Keep Your Plants All Winter with a Cold Frame
• PVP Free Cold frame Plan

Don’t forget to add some compost to your soil to freshen it up before you plant your fall crop. Typically you will water your garden less in the fall, but you want to keep an eye on it. In my area, the weather can be unpredictable. For example, it’s in the 90’s today, and it’s September.

I’m always looking for great sources of information on the web. There is nothing like learning what not to do. Garden Web has great forums, and you can go to the Four Season Vegetable Gardening forum to get some information, or ask questions to some of the experts there. Also try one of the Exchange Forums to find people to trade some seeds with. It’s a great an inexpensive way to try new things and the group trades are tons of fun. I love getting surprise packages. There’s even an all veggie one.

Some helpful articles:

• Ed Hume Seeds – Growing Vegetables in a Cold Frame
• Organic Gardening – Second Harvest
• Organic Gardening – Winter Vegetable Gardening