Do you frown when you have to clean off the garden tools and pack them away for the winter? Some weekend warriors may cheer when the days get a little cooler and grass starts to slowly go dormant for the winter. They pack away the mower and yard tools happily. But as a gardener you may feel a little sadness about the end of the warm sunny season.
There’s something incredible when you can bring the warmth of the sun into your kitchen in the palm of your hand—a fresh tomato plucked out of the July sunshine. Weeds? Well, of course, anyone could do with a break in the year from having to weed the garden—but what if you could choose to never stop gardening?
Experts from the Mother Earth News have some tips on how you can plant and manage vegetables in ways where you can choose to never stop gardening.
- Plant Much Later for Fall and Winter Abundance
Gardeners typically plant for their fall in mid-summer, but it’s possible to extend your plant’s growing season by planting crops in late summer and sometimes even after a first light frost.
- Provide Shelter
By planting crops on the south side of structures, you can protect them from the cold north wind. Consider planting your vegetables along the house or a substantial fence for some extra protection, too. Water can also provide shelter from frost that can be harmful. Keep plants in the fall very moist. One gardener even kept his tomato plants alive by keeping a soaker hose on them through a frosty night.
- Keep Them Low to the Ground
Experts suggest that when you choose vegetables that allow you to never stop gardening, you should choose varieties that can sprawl near the ground rather than climb. The first frosts of the year usually only hurt the outermost elevated parts of a plant. The lower half of the plant is usually spared from freezing until there is a later hard frost. Rather than staking your fall tomatoes to towers, let them trail low to the ground. Purchase bush beans rather than pole beans. By keeping buds close to the ground, you might dodge the frost that will nip the height of your plant and you’ll never stop gardening throughout the late fall.
- Take a Break from Weeding
While your vegetables slowly keep producing, you can actually let some of those more leafy weeds act as your winter ally. Their broad foliage can provide some insulation and protection from some frost and cold damage. When the ground starts to warm and plant production speeds up then you can turn the soil and uproot those weeds.
Our sturdy, rust-resistant plant tags at Kincaid Plant Markers don’t fear the frost and neither should you. Careful planning, planting and winter care can extend your growing season through the colder months so you can choose to never stop gardening.
