Although you may be weary from a long summer of gardening, once the frost takes out your vegetable garden it’s time to clean up. Toss or compost wilted greens, till in some manure and compost. Rake your beds smooth. If you just suck it up in the fall you’ll be able to stroll out to your garden in thh spring and plant away. It really is a pleasure having done the hard work in the fall.
Archive for September, 2009
Fall Clean-Up -
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009The Viola Variations -
Friday, September 11th, 2009One of the true joys of Colorado gardening is winter pansies. While all pansies are violas, only those with “faces” are technically speaking — pansies. In the spring and summer you’d be right to plant them in a shaded location. But come September, you’ll want to plant them in a sunny, protected spot with rich soil. Given enough water and fertilizer they’ll blossom all winter long and burst into glorious bloom when the weather warms up. Even heavy snows don’t faze them. Once it melts off they spring back up and bloom again. Going into a really severe storm you can mulch them lightly or protect them with branches off your Christmas tree. There are few other plants which offer such a stunning array of colors and patterns. So for some winter cheer now’s the time to plant pansies.
Late Season Tomato Tips -
Tuesday, September 8th, 2009With Jack Frost on the horizon you can hasten the ripening of your tomatoes and extend the season in many ways. The easiest is to simply stop watering. Green tomatoes will ripen quickly and once ripe will develop an even more intense flavor. Or you can root prune, cutting a half-circle around the base of the plant with a shovel. If a hard frost is looming, collect all the fruit and sort them out. Eat the ripe ones. Set aside those showing a little red and study the remainder. Some will be a hard, uniform green while others will be slightly dark green on the top with a whitish cast. The latter are known as “milky green” and, if placed on a soft surface in a dark container along with the semi-ripe fruit, will continue to ripen. YOu can eat great-tasting tomatoes well into November.
Garden Row Cover -
Monday, September 7th, 2009One of the best ways to extend your vegetable season is to use row cover. Row cover is lightweight, breathable polyester fabric which will protect your garden from light frosts. Drape it over your plants and hold in place with clods of earth. You can plant spinach seeds in late fall and even early winter if you then cover them with row cover. They’ll sprout the minute things warm up and you can harvest a spinach crop as early as February. Row cover tunnels can also extend your salad green season in the summer. It protects the plants from the hot sun and can even air-condition them if misted with water twice a day.
Garlic Planting -
Saturday, September 5th, 2009Fall is the time to plant garlic. Break a head of garlic into individual cloves and plant them with just the tip of the clove showing, 6 to 8 inches apart. It will help to incorporate some compost and manure into the soil. Water the cloves in and when frost has killed the growing shoot, bend the shoot over and mulch lightly. Once the weather warms up growth will begin again. There are hundreds of types of garlic that fall into tow categories — hard-neck and soft-neck. Hard-neck varieties are best for Colorado because they are hardier and store longer. For a great selection of garlic take a look at the Seeds of Change website. Tehy have dozens of types from around the world.
Bulb Planting -
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009If you want a sea of daffodils and tulips next spring, you’ll have to plant them in the fall. And if you’ve got a lot to plant, we’ve discovered a simple, fast way to do it. You’ll need a hand drill, a bulb auger and a shop vac. First drill a series of holes to the proper depth with the drill and auger - mark the auger to the right depth. When drilling the holes don’t worry if some dirt falls back in. Then vacuum all the dirt out of the holes. Place a bulb in each hole, pointy end up. Then empty the dirt of of the vacuum cleaner and rake it around to fill the holes. You can plant dozens of buls an hour this way, without the usual backbreaking tedium.
Cold Frames -
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009If you want to extend your vegetable season consider a cold frame. Cold frames are mini-greenhouses that cover part of your garden bed, keeping the soil and air warmer and fighting off frost. They can be as simple as an A-frame using storm windows and fabricated end caps. Keep in mind that on sunny days they can overheat quickly, so build them so that they can be easily opened and closed. If you maintain a uniform bed size you can leapfrog the cold frame sequentially in the spring, first to jump start salad greens, then to get a head start on tomatoes and peppers.
Fall Planting Tips:
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009Fall is a great time to replant your vegetable garden, transplant perennials and reap what you have sown. Cooler temperatures mean less watering and weeding. And you can get a head start on next year as well.
