(from What to Plant Now, by Jessica Walliser, page 2 of 2)
Protecting Your Investment
If you pay attention to planting time and variety selection, most late-season crops grow just fine on their own. But providing them a bit of extra protection can extend your harvest well into winter’s grasp.
It’s fruitful (and fun!) to try to extend the growing season as long as possible. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of ways to keep winter at bay. By using season-extending devices like cloches, row covers and cold frames, plants are protected from both frost and wind.
Simple homemade cloches created from plastic milk jugs with their bottoms removed or store-bought glass and plastic cloches shield individual plants from light frosts, while entire rows of crops can be sheltered by using a winter-weight fabric row cover supported by wire hoops. (Row cover is a spun-bound translucent fabric that’s rain and light permeable.)
Heavier row covers will provide about 8 degrees of frost protection and shield plants from temperatures as low as 24 degrees F.
| One Strange Vegetable
Kohlrabi is an odd duck. If you’ve never grown it before—or even tasted it—you might want to consider giving this vegetable a chance, despite its nonconforming nature. Kohlrabi is a member of the cabbage family and develops as an edible bulb above ground. With a crisp, apple-like texture and a taste much like a sweet, mild cabbage, kohlrabi can be eaten fresh in salads or in stir-fries. It’s really delicious and perfectly suited for fall planting since it’s less likely to get woody during autumn’s cooler temperatures. Superschmelz, a giant kohlrabi with a bulb that grows 8 to 10 inches across, is ideal for fall planting, as is Kolibri, a purple-skinned type that grows to an average size of 4 inches. |
Summer-weight fabrics also offer some protection, but not as effectively as heavier grades. They provide about 4 degrees of protection, so on nights where only a light frost is expected, summer-weight fabrics work just fine.
“We hate to see the first frost, especially since here in Wisconsin it comes so unexpectedly in mid-September while the days still feel like summer, so we use floating row cover to protect things from the first few frosts” says Bjorkman. “We always regrettably waste our time covering more than should be covered, but who can let that almost-ripe tomato plant go? Instead of focusing on covering tender crops, like tomatoes and peppers, spend your time covering the cold-tolerant crops. They’ll benefit from it even more.”
Growing late-season crops in an open-bottomed cold frame is another way to offer them added cold-weather protection. Acting much like a mini-greenhouse, cold frames absorb and retain the sun’s heat. Usually made from translucent double-walled polycarbonate on a metal or wood frame, cold frames can also come equipped with an opener that automatically vents the frame when interior temperatures get too high.
For do-it-yourselfers, polycarbonate panels can be purchased in 4- by 8-foot sheets and fashioned into custom-sized cold frames. Because they’re lightweight and extremely durable, polycarbonate cold frames can be repositioned each season to cover whatever part of the garden needs additional shelter.
And lastly, 6 to 10 inches of straw mulch loosely placed over plant tops will keep late crops warm and cozy right in the garden’s soil. Well-mulched carrots and other root crops can be kept in-ground until Thanksgiving and sometimes beyond—just move the mulch aside to harvest.
“There are many varieties of things that can be overwintered with straw, including certain varieties of leeks, spinach, kale and other greens,” notes Bjorkman. “But, admittedly, I don’t always take the time to do this because by the time late-fall rolls around, I'm ready to rest!”
Eventually, the garden, too, will be ready to rest. The occasion to call it quits each season comes to all gardens and gardeners in its own time. You decide when you’re done for the season or how late you want to push your harvest.
Some growers revel in the knowledge that they can feed their family from the garden nearly 12 months of the year, while others, like Bjorkman, enjoy a long winter’s rest. Either way, the garden can abide.
Page 1 | 2
About the Author: Jessica Walliser is the author of Grow Organic: Over 250 Tips and Ideas for Growing Flowers, Veggies, Lawns and More (St. Lynns Press, 2007) who lives and gardens in Pennsylvania.