Don't Quit Now The Best Gardening Is Yet To Come It's late summer. The weather's been a bear with oppressive heat and a lack of rain that would make a cactus wither. The nights have failed to bring relief and all you can think of is fall and the cooling relief it will bring. You dream of the refreshing rains to come and the chance to put the garden tools away for yet another year. The garden that you planted with such enthusiasm this spring was without weed and growing like all its energy had to be expended now, for tomorrow might never come. It was mulched, fed and watered. At first you watered the garden, then you watered and watered and watered. Finally, you had to give up on it and leave to survive on its own, or die entirely, because the wells of financial and physical resources have gone as dry as the weather. In the cool of the morning, while enjoying a brief, but welcome respite from the heat, knowing it would soon end as the day heated up, you find yourself at the garden. You survey the crops that once were lush, green and producing bountifully. The beans that you thought would never end are bare twigs like miniature spooky tree skeletons from a horror movie. The cucumbers are withered and limp, with only a few withered and bitter fruits clinging to the vines. The tomatoes that you had long since grown tired of finding uses for are clinging to life in the dry summer heat, with only a few small fruits remaining. You think that perhaps you might pick up the hose and at least make an attempt to keep at least a few of them alive until the fall rains return. But then you ask yourself "Why bother? I'd just be putting off the inevitable. Surely there's a better way". Summer gardening can be challenging for many, to say the least. In many areas, summer is second only to winter in its inhospitality to anything growing and in some areas is equal to winter in not being a time to grow anything. However, there are ways to beat the heat of summer and still raise a decent garden. Without belaboring the challenges summer growing, consider what may be the best time of year to garden of all - fall. In the spring, it is natural to think "plant, plant, plant" and "grow, grow, grow". We've been cooped up inside for months with little to see but the stark grey's and gloomy days of winter. Little exists outdoors that is green and suggests life. Nothing is growing and we long to feel the warmth of sunshine and our hands in the soil. But along with satisfying the "need for green", we also have the added responsibilities of prepping the soil, cleaning up after winter has left a mess, getting the lawn ready for another season of growing, mowing, tending the many beds, shrubs and flowers we've planted. The list goes on and on as to the number of things that require our attention as spring increases. But spring is a wonderful time of the year to get our "outdoor batteries" recharged. However, it doesn't take long before we start feeling the pressure that spring brings and the needs of summer are looming. In the fall, plant growth is beginning again, the days are getting cooler and the rains are returning. But overall, things are slowing down. The needs of spring are behind us. The lawn needs less attention, the beds are taken care of and we start to have more time to do what we enjoy and enjoy what we do, even if for only a little while. Soon, we know that the leaves will start to fall and the air of fall will bring with it that kiss of death with the first frosts. Then the reality of yet another winter sets in. Does this mean that the end is near and we must resign ourselves to defeat once again? Not at all (unless that is what you desire). For the savvy gardener, fall is but another opportunity to display his or her ingenuity and ability to adapt, in order to prolong that which he or she enjoys. It is that time of year when they dig deep into their bag of tricks and pull out many old and timeless ways to continue the growing season until such time as they are the ones to say "enough". But I'm sure many who are not well versed in fall gardening have questions. ""What do I need to consider before I decide to make a fall garden"? Before diving headfirst into fall gardening methodology and learning some basic truths the hard and often painful way, let's bring them up now: Fall means cool weather that can quickly turn into cold weather and often quite quickly. Cold weather can spell death for most plants unless you are prepared to provide protection for them.
Depending on the level of protection you choose to provide, fall gardening has the potential to stretch into winter gardening, which potentially could stretch into year-round gardening if you're not careful. It's up to you.
Many of the plants you may want to grow bear fruit by flowering. Flowers need to be pollinated in order to bear fruit. The pollinators that are needed will not be present once the weather starts to freeze or will be in very short supply. Additionally, many of the methods employed to guaranty the survival of the plants will also prevent the few pollinators that dare to venture out from being able to visit your plants. Therefore, if you desire to grow any of these plants, you must be willing to step in and fulfill the role of pollinator.
Many of the plants that produce fruit from flowers require a lot of space, e.g.: tomatoes, cucumbers and squash. This space translates into dollars spent for housing, additional heat, ventilation, etc. Consider this when you make your decisions for the fall garden.
The needs of your fall garden go on regardless of the weather outdoors. Be prepared for a few chilly trips to your garden.
Your fall garden still must have water. Water that must be supplied by some means. If this is via a hose, you must be prepared to keep it drained between uses or risk a burst hose.
The winter sun is much less intense and winter days are shorter. For this reason, many crops that require long periods of sunlight may not produce unless you are willing to make up the difference in the amount of sunlight supplied each day.
As the weather continues to get colder, your fall garden will still be producing, but at a slower rate.
"What can I grow in the fall"? With the items above noted and dooly considered, what can be grown in winter for us to consider? The answer - just about anything, provided you are willing to meet their needs. Now with that said, it just may not be practical for most to consider a lot of the crops you would normally grow during the year such as corn, onions, cucumbers, melons, beans, maybe even tomatoes. In fact is, unless you are willing to invest in some form of structure and the proper equipment, the nurturing of flowering, fruiting crops is perhaps not a wise choice for most gardeners. Especially not for a gardener new to fall and winter gardening. "Ok - so what is left for me to grow if I can't grow these favorites"? Stop and think for a moment at the vast array of crops that most gardeners grow throughout the year that do not flower, or do not require pollination in order to produce a crop. To make it even easier, most of these are traditionally planted in early spring or fall anyway when temperatures are cooler. Among these you will find: The brassica's. These include, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, kohlrabi. The lettuces, which include head, leaf and bib. Radishes of all sorts. Turnips, both leaf and bulbing, rutabagas and parsnips. Celery Spinach and the chards Mustard All of the kales Chinese greens Beets, both leaf and bulbing. Carrots of all types. All of the herbs (grown for the leaves, not seeds)
There others, but the above list will provide most gardeners a lot to choose from and all of them are so easy to grow. "What if I don't want to grow just vegetables"? I don't blame you at all. After all, the gloomy days of winter can be - well - gloomy. The simple answer is that many annual flowers can be grown quite successfully given proper protection from the cold. Remember, flowering annuals are not hardy and will not tolerate freezing temperature. The ones that will grow best for you in your particular growing area will very from area to area. Start with those that normally grow well in your area in the early spring and late fall. Some that normally do well just about everywhere in spring are the pansies, petunias, celosia, alyssum, dusty miller and the ornamental kales. When considering flowering annuals, choose ones that also make good cut flowers and don't hesitate to pick bouquets to brighten up the indoors as well. "Ok, but I can't just run out and buy seeds for a fall garden now, can I"? The sad truth is - no. In our fast turn around marketing society, by which most big box stores adhere to, fall gardening is not a high priority. At least not in regard to selling seeds. And unfortunately, most local nurseries also adopt this policy. Part of the reason for this is that in our present culture, we have been taught and have adopted a policy of plant seeds only in the spring. We have forgotten that fall can be the second biggest growing season for any gardener. The fact is, that nearly half of all of the seeds they sell are of plants that do best in cool weather. The very conditions which make fall gardening so successful. In order to have seed to plant in the fall when purchasing from a local source, it is almost imperative that one plans well in advance and purchase seed ahead of time. Seed that must be properly stored until time to plant also, I might add. Fortunately for gardeners, most reputable seed houses still have not adopted the policy of "spring only" seed sales. Most of them understand the value of fall gardening and therefore will sell you seed anytime through mail-order or on-line. The drawback to this is that in late summer, much of the new crop of seed has not yet been harvested and processed. Therefore, if a particular variety was sold out earlier, new seed may not yet be available. Otherwise, they will be happy to sell you seed at any time you are ready. "What do I need in order to raise a fall garden"? This is a good question and it's not one that can be answered in a short statement or two. Many things will need to be considered before an answer can be given. Some of these are: What kind of crops do you wish to grow?
If you are mainly interested in preserving a crop of brassica's, kales, turnips or other cold weather crops until they mature, you may not need anything unless the temperatures will dip into the twenties. In that case, a simple covering of old sheets or blankets may be all that is needed. If the crops are lettuce, flowers, etc. you may need something more significant because these won't stand a frost without damage. But if you intend to grow more sensitive crops and annual flowers, you will need to provide a more substantial covering that won't need to be removed every day and replaced every night.
How long do you wish to extend the season?
Regardless of the crop, all crops will eventually succumb to the cold and will die unless proper protection is provided. The later into the season you wish to grow, the more substantial the protection will need to be. Additionally, the deeper into the season you plan to grow, the more substantial your means of heating will need to be. With relatively cold tolerant crops, a simple system of water bottles and bricks to collect heat during the day and re-radiate it at night will normally provide adequate heating when the nights get down into the 20's.
For colder nighttime temperatures or more cold-sensitive crops, you might need to look for an additional means of heating. In other words, the deeper into the season you wish to grow, the more elaborate your system needs to be. For the beginner, it might be wise to start with a simple enclosure like a cloche or a cold frame and a simple series of bricks (see note below) and gallon jugs (see note below) filled with water. Place these about every foot to foot and one-half or so throughout the enclosure and high enough so that they are in full sun during the day. I would alternate a stack of bricks, water jug, bricks, etc. throughout the enclosure. Do a little record keeping to record both nighttime lows and daytime highs and grow until the cold finally starts to kill some of the crops. Use this as a basis for making changes next year to expand your gardening experience and crops you can grow. This alone may be enough to grow a lot of crops all winter if you live in a moderate climate.
How large of a crop or how many varieties do you wish to grow?
If your goal is to start simple and only grow a few salad greens, then a simple cold frame may be all that is needed. One cold frame will produce enough lettuce and other greens to keep a family of four in fresh salads much of the winter. But, if your goal is to raise many different varieties of vegetable and/or flowers, then you will need to look at a cloche system or perhaps something larger like a small hoop greenhouse system.
You will need to do a little planning in order determine the amount of room you will need. Consider the spacing required between plants, bearing in mind that you will probably plant about 50% closer for a small planting and use this as a guide. For a four-foot wide cloche, you will be able to get about three, cabbage-sized plants across. Head lettuce, about four to six and leaf lettuce, about eight to twelve across.
What resources do you have available or can you get?
Most winter gardeners start out with either a cold frame of some sort or a simple cloche made from flexible PVC pipe and clear plastic sheeting, both of which are relatively inexpensive and readily available at most hardware stores or home centers. Highly serviceable cold frames can be built by any average gardener from simple bales of straw and some old window panes.
Bales of straw are widely available in the fall from a lot of different sources and old windows that have been replaced are often available for free just for hauling them off. Look in your local classifieds or consider placing a "wanted" ad. Many areas of the country have a "free-cycle" where persons can post items they are seeking to get rid of or they are looking for. The condition to these adds - all items must be free. When it comes to bales of straw, avoid being "gouged" on price by first checking out local feed and farm supplies. These stores cater to rural customers seeking bedding for farm animals and are not likely to pay the inflated prices charged by most box stores. Often, straw will be half the price or less, that charged by box stores who are primarily selling it for decorating around the holidays.
Clear plastic sheeting is available almost anywhere that has a hardware department. But be aware of two things: The sheeting should be wide enough to cover your structure in one piece. Splicing sheets together is almost sure disaster.
If you are purchasing plastic sheeting, purchase at least four mil (a designation of its thickness) plastic and six or eight mil is better. The thicker the plastic, the better it will withstand the rigors of winter. Four mil should be the thinnest plastic that can withstand an average winter unless you receive a lot of snow and ice. In that case six mil should be considered the minimum.
After you've fall gardened a year or two, you may wish to consider purchasing regular greenhouse covering because it will last many seasons if properly cared for. Regular vinyl sheeting will normally only last one winter. The bottom line to all of this is look around you for what you already have and supplement it with what you can. It doesn't need to be fancy to start or expensive.
"I can't afford elaborate heaters and ventilators like I've heard some use. Do I really need these"?
Not unless you plan on setting up some form of greenhouse or wish to winter garden professionally. The fact is that many gardeners simply use the jug and brick method described above and raise what they can as long as they can. They normally start out with several different varieties and as some succumb to the cold, they simply go on with what are left. It is possible to use some form of electric heater in a simple winter enclosure, but I don't recommend such without first seeking the advice of a qualified electrician due to the risk of injury or worse.
As to ventilation, fall and winter gardening traditionally relies on human powered ventilation and for the first time fall gardener, this will probably be the best method to use. That simply means checking your enclosure periodically and opening or closing it as needed to keep it within a safe range of sixty to eighty degree F. This is especially important on sunny fall and winter days when the temperature inside an enclosure can rise quickly to ninety degrees F. or more. At ninety degrees F. most of your plants will be very uncomfortable. Over ninety degrees F. Plants start to suffer. Over one-hundred degrees F. and they start to die. If you have a cold frame, this normally means lifting the sash on the down-wind side a little at a time until the temperature stabilizes. With a cloche, this normally involves opening the down-wind side to allow the heat to escape. Now being perfectly honest, a manual system can be somewhat tedious because it does tie a gardener to their fall and winter garden while it's growing and if you're not there, your crops may overheat and die. But on a positive note, enjoying the fresh-picked flavor of crops harvested straight from your own garden can make this inconvenience worth the effort.
If you are not sure you wish to be tied to your fall and winter garden, or you simply can't be tied to your garden because of a job or other demands, there are alternatives that can help:
Employ automatic sash openers.
These are devices that are temperature sensitive that will automatically raise or lower a sash based on the temperature inside. To use these, you will normally need to employ some form of coldframe or hotbed. Automatic vent openers aren't without drawbacks however. 1) Most of the ones commonly used employ a cylinder filled with temperature-sensitive wax that expands and contracts as the temperature changes. These cylinders must be replaced periodically. 2) Automatic vent openers have a weight limit as to how much they will lift. This is generally less than twenty pounds and may be a consideration if you are using used windows for you coldframe or hotbed.
Automatic temperature monitors.
These are simply monitoring devices that can be programmed to warn you if the temperature rises or falls above or below pre-set levels. If you choose such a device, choose one that can either be hard-wired to your house or a wireless one. Either of these will warn you of dangerous temperatures. Be aware though that: 1) A hard-wired device (one that must have a wire physically attached to the monitor and the alarm) may require a licensed electrician to connect in your area and you have a wire that must be protected from your garden to your house. 2) Wireless units rely on batteries that must be changed periodically. Additionally, wireless units have a limited range that they will function it. This may be a factor if your garden is some distance from your house.
Automatic ventilation fans.
Here again, if you employ a solid structure, such as a coldframe or hotbed, there are fans available that will turn on and off with temperature changes to help regulate the temperature. However, these must be installed in a safe manner and may involve a licensed electrician and permits in your area. Also bear in mind that if the power goes out in your area, you will need to regulate the temperature yourself.
There are others that could be listed, but these are the main ones most gardeners will ever get involved with. For the most part, all of the items listed and the others available all require a more solid and possibly more expensive system, but they are not necessary in order to enjoy fall vegetables and flowers. "This all sounds very confusing, elaborate and expensive. Which one do I choose?" Fall gardening doesn't need to be elaborate, confusing or expensive. If you are a first time fall gardener, start with the simplest system you can afford and grow simple and easy crops like the brassica's that aren't as sensitive to the cold as others. Grow them as long as the weather permits and then evaluate whether or not the taste of fresh vegetables was worth it. Evaluate your successes and/or failures, how they can be improved upon and how many other things could be grown. Then decide for yourself whether or not to pursue greater involvement next season. For most gardeners, this will be a simple cloche with passive solar heating. Even though your season may only be extended by only a few weeks, if you are like most, you will decide that yes it was worth it. Next season do a little more, like perhaps a simple, portable coldframe and grow from there. Before long, you may find yourself gardening year round. In conclusion, fall does not need to be the end to the gardening season. Fall is simply the beginning of a new way of gardening. It is fun, easy to do and provides the gardener with many fresh vegetables and even flowers that can be vastly superior to anything you would buy in the store. Fall gardening doesn't need to be expensive or difficult and is a pass time that any gardener can enjoy. But fall gardening also has the potential to be year-round gardening or anything you wish it to be. Some fall gardeners have even gotten so hooked on it that they have gone on to making it an enjoyable winter business, selling fresh vegetable and flowers in the dead of winter. Give it a try if you dare. But be forewarned, you may get hooked on fall gardening. the "Hillbilly Gardener"
Notes Bricks - A simple stack of four to six bricks, all painted with a flat black paint will act like a passive solar heating system. Water Jugs - Painting the jugs with a flat black paint will increase the amount of heat they absorb, which is re-radiated slowly at night.
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