Backyard Gardener: Fall Gardening
Story & Photos by Kat Long / Ponca City Monthly Contributing Writer
Kat Long
FALL ACTIVITIES I hope you made it downtown for the Seed Swap. I hope we chatted, you met other likeminded gardeners and had lots of fun. As we growers and gardeners enter into October, there are some activities which can make you feel very accomplished when completed. They are not fun jobs, but they are necessary as we get into the winter months. Getting these things done will make spring so much more enjoyable. I promise.
FALL GARDEN If you planted some fall yummies like kale, spinach, Brussel sprouts or parsley, make sure you keep an eye on them as frost time approaches. Don’t get me wrong, these crops love a little cold weather, but harvest as you go with the greens. You can try for the big harvest before a hard freeze, or you can keep your cutting scissors handy and harvest greens to use in salads, soups and in side dishes all Fall and sometimes throughout the winter, if your fall garden gets lots of winter sun. October is also a good time to harvest the last of the summer herbs like sage, savory, lemon grass, thyme or oregano. Most herbs dry pretty easily, hanging upside down in a closet or pantry. Basil is harder to dry & store, but pesto is a wonderful, easy way to preserve your basil for future use. If you just didn’t have it in you to plant a fall garden, no worries. Now is a great time to plant garlic. Tractor Supply, Brandts, Atwood’s, Lowe’s and a few other places around town, will all have fall garlic and onions.
If you see either on a shopping expedition, and you have to choose one or the other, go with garlic. I always do. If you plant your garlic in October and November, you can harvest in June and July. Give it a try. And plant your garlic where it gets plenty of sun during the winter months. CLEANING If there is an early freeze, the leaves will begin to fall fast and furious. Now is a good time to start a compost pile or use your raised beds to store the leaves so they can break down for spring planting. You can build a compost pile out of spare lumber or even use chicken wire Wire Basket Composting circles to dump your gathered leaves into. They compost down pretty quickly especially if you give them a turn every couple of weeks. If you have raised beds, after they have been cleaned out, pile your leaves into the beds, smooth and cover with a tarp or plastic bags. I use bricks to weight down the tarps. This cooks your leaves down into lovely compost and bonus, it is already in the beds for next spring. Another cleaning item is tools. This is your final cleaning item before winter takes hold, because let’s face it, you will not be using the tools until then. If you have a lawn mower, drain out the gas.
continued on page 57 October 2020
55
