Backyard Gardener

The Garden Is Still in Giving Mode …

Story and Photos by Kat Long / Contributing Writer

I really thought everything in the yard would be dead by now. Frozen, snow falling, all the bugs dead … well, I couldn’t have been more wrong on all of these things. Sure we got that early freeze and all my fish died (so sad). Also the peppers, tomatoes and most of the basil were finished. Then, surprisingly, the mint started flourishing. And then there was thyme, oregano, lemon balm and catnip getting fluffy and sprouting flowers in the warmer temps the last few weeks. And today (it’s still November) but lo and behold, I discovered some new chives had sprung up. And the garden (yard) just keeps on producing.

We spoke of Christmas gifts for gardeners last month, so this month, here are some things you can do in the yard while we wait (insert foot tapping) for some colder weather and the seed catalogs. By the way, the catalogs have already started arriving. AND they are offering gift cards! More on that later.

For now, let’s talk garlic, carrots, greens, daikon radish, onions and fruit trees … because we live in Oklahoma that’s why. GARLIC

Garlic is one of my favorite things to plant in the fall. I am going for 100 bulbs in the ground this year. Why? Because I can, that’s why. December in Ponca City is the perfect time for garlic planting. The ground needs to be workable, and we have finally received rain two weeks in a row, so you should be able to work the ground and get those individual garlic cloves into the ground.

Remember, pointy side up and they need to go in about a half inch into the soil. Use some compost or garden soil to cover them and then cover that with hay, straw or some kind of mulch. And sit back and wait. You won’t know if they all “took” until March or so, but once they start growing, there will be much rejoicing. When planting garlic in December, you will harvest them in late June to early July.

CARROTS

Believe it or not, winter carrots are a thing. They grow really slow over the winter, but the cold makes them so much sweeter when you harvest them in the spring. Clear your area and get enough hay or mulch to cover your carrot planting at least three inches. More is better. Plant your carrot seeds as normal and cover with compost/dirt and water them well to get them germinating. After a couple of weeks (it should be starting to freeze regularly by mid-December) cover them with the mulch/hay.

I have seen examples of a mulch blanket which works really well if you want to give them some extra growing time on warm days. Mulch blankets can be purchased at Lowe’s or ordered online. They are called erosion blankets. You can also use any breathable material to make the base of a straw blanket such as burlap, garden netting or even chicken wire. If you use something under your straw, keep monitoring your carrot top growth. If you let the green carrot tops grow too much, they will anchor your straw blanket in place come spring.

I don’t have a problem with how it looks in the garden, but some people don’t like the deadness of decomposing straw in their yard. Figure out if you want the straw or not. If you try to remove the blanket after the carrot greens grow through the straw blanket, the carrot tops are likely to break off.

DAIKON RADISH

I love daikon radishes. This is the time to sow them in the yard. Get a bucket and mix the following: a fourth cup of daikon seed, four big scoops of compost and another four scoops of dirt. Mix it together and add a little water. It should be the consistency of crumbly dirt. But maybe I am getting ahead of myself. Are you asking yourself why should you plant daikon radish? Well, here are three reasons. Daikon radishes are deep growers and penetrate into