The Last Hurrah
Last week when I was mowing, I spotted a few dandelions blooming in the lawn. I also noticed a few daisies blooming here and there as well. Yesterday I cut one final arrangement from the garden, there are still fairy roses, alyssum, hollyhocks and few other plants with a few remaining blooms.
It’s the last hurrah of the flowers for the year. I’m always reminded this time of year that I need to add witch hazels and other winter interest plants. I’m actually working on an area by the driveway that will be dedicated to plants with winter interest. I’ll be referencing The Winter Garden, which is a fantastic book. In fact, I’ll probably pulling it out this week.
Are there any blooms left in your garden?
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Trying Something New
Every year I try a few new varieties of vegetables. I love endive and decided to try growing a few different types. Right now it’s coming into season, it mellows and gets a little less bitter with the cold. I tried them before our first frost and they were bitter, no doubt they’ve mellowed out a bit with the cold weather.
I tied up all the frisee this past weekend to blanch the hearts. I covered one with a bucket to see how that would work and it seems to be working. I’m trying to see which method will work best and be the easiest to manage. I also want to see if one method works better for cold protection.
I’m pretty excited about the radicchio as well, I buy it at the grocery store throughout the winter, I’d love to be able to grow at least some of what we eat.
I’m a huge fan of bitter greens, so endives are a natural choice for me. Growing them is a bit different than lettuce, I’m really enjoying the process of trying different types and learning to use them in the kitchen.
Do you grow any endive or chicories in the garden? Do you have a favorite variety?
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Building Foundations
This week I’ve been working on building the foundation for next year. I’ve been spending my time pulling out any remaining weeds and adding a thick layer of compost or chopped leaves and grass clippings over the garden areas.
The edible garden areas are getting 3-4 inch thick layers of compost and the fruit trees are getting a 6-10 inch layer of chopped leaves and grass.
Not only will this feed the soil for my crops next year, I will have fewer weeds to deal with as well. In my experience, chopped leaves are the best weed suppression material. I’ve been putting them on my garden in fall for years and am amazed by how easily they keep spring weeds away. It’s nice to know that in spring my garden will be ready for planting, I love getting these chores out of the way in fall.
What do you use as a mulch to protect and feed your soil during the winter?
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Growing Fall Broccoli
When I posted about my fall broccoli last week, there were lots of of questions about it. The varieties I grew for fall were the same as the ones I grew for my summer crop. I got a packet of ‘All Season’ broccoli from Renee’s Garden, it has three different types in one packet, early, mid, and late season varieties.
Fall broccoli produces much nicer and tastier heads than spring sown plants. I’m completely amazed by the quality of my fall broccoli vs my spring broccoli. The key to good fall broccoli is seeding at the proper time. I seeded them in flat back in July. My first sowing was gobbled up by my turkeys, luckily I had seeded another planting 10 days later just in case something happened to my first crop. I transplanted them into the garden and mulched them heavily with compost.
I watched patiently and wondered if they were actually going to produce heads, then all of a sudden they started and grew into the most beautiful broccoli I’ve ever grown. The broccoli is tasty and there is no hint of bitterness at all. Overall, it was a grand success. The key is starting them early enough to make sure they will reach maturing right around the first frost date. The heads hold for a long time in the garden, so there’s not a problem with having too many on hand. Next year I might try a shorter season ‘Arcadia’ broccoli from Johnny’s Seed, because it’s a cold tolerant variety bred for winter production.
Do you do any winter gardening? What’s your favorite crop to grow?
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Hello Broccoli
My fall broccoli is turning out to be the best broccoli I’ve ever grown. I’m AMAZED at the beautiful heads, the size of them and the lushness of the plants. There hasn’t been a cabbage worm in sight either, though the turkeys have been sneaking out and nipping the broccoli leaves.
One of the best things about growing broccoli in the fall is that it doesn’t bolt. This head of broccoli has been standing in the garden for two weeks now. I’d rather leave them on the plant to keep nutrients in tact. It looks as if I’ll be eating a lot of broccoli this fall, what a wonderful way to extend the season when other vegetables are waning!
Have you ever grown broccoli as a fall crop?
