Garden Plot
Seasonal Care for Your Garden
October is the month where we make the official switch from the warm days of Indian summer and we welcome cool nights, which means the first signs of frost are beginning to appear.
Despite the frost however, you can still continue to harvest your root vegetables such as potatoes and onions and cool weather greens such as Swiss chard, mustard and leaf lettuce. In some instances new garlic shoots will also appear and the tops can be cut and added to dishes of stir fry or as a seasoning for meats. If you live in a region that is experiencing freezing temps you can prolong the harvest for another month or so by simply adding a covering of hay in order to keep the ground temps warm.
For those of you who prefer to put away your garden tools and rest up until spring, be sure to clean away debris from your garden and leave a nice layer of leaves as a covering over the winter months. The leaves will decompose over the winter and add a nice dose of organic nutrients to the soil providing your garden with a boost come spring.
And be sure to clean garden tools thoroughly, washing away dirt and adding a thin coat of oil (WD-40 works great), to prevent rust from forming and to help them to last for years to come. Turn garden pots on their sides to prevent collecting water and splitting from the freeze. Better yet, remove soil, wash out pots and store in the shed until spring.
If you have plants that might become damaged from the ravages of winter, burlap is still the best way to protect them until spring.
How good is that...