[Gardening] Winter Gardens

[Wednesday]

i have collected heirloom kale, collards, garlic, onion. i will have a tender greens bed as well, covered with a cold frame. whats in your winter gardens? im hardiness zone 5a?

[satjeet]

amaranth - the tall brownish stuff with small black seeds - in S. Jersey
it reseeds itfself. I haven't learned to use it yet - but the leaves are salada material and the seeds are hi-quality protein. The Aztec civilization worshiped and relied on this plant.\

BURDOCK

COMFREY

god how I love these things....

[Ludi]

I'm fortunate to live in Zone 8, so I can grow a lot of things during the winter, theoretically. The problem is, our late summer/early fall, when winter gardens should be planted, is so hot and dry it's difficult to get anything started.

I've grown peas, carrots, fava beans, radishes, lettuce, collards, beets, turnips, parsley, onions, garlic in the winter.

[gnm]

Great book on the subject called "The four season harvest" - they are greenhouse gardening in Maine on the cheap!

-G

[Wednesday]

actually im familiar with that book and have been studying it like a new religion

satjeet, its interesting that you would mention amaranth, i am missing some of the spices i grew up with in Texas and was hoping to have some Mexican peppers sent up here, perhaps i could find some amaranth seed at the same time, it would have to go in greenhouse, im too far north

i plan to grow achiote and habanero, these domestic capsicums i get up here just arent doing it for me

i like to experiment with Mayan cooking, they basically lived very well off of little more than corn, beans, squash, peppers and honey

in my new home, the local Kootenay indians, survived mainly by fishing, and i must also adopt that native style

i think i can keep a few flavors from down home alive in a cold frame or green house this winter, my new diet would not normally include those spices

ill have to work at it

[Trab]

Great book on the subject called "The four season harvest" - they are greenhouse gardening in Maine on the cheap!

-G

Agreed! I checked this book out of our local library, and it has some great ideas on how to get at least a limited selection of fresh vegetables all winter long, no matter where you live. Getting some old storm windows and some plastic sheeting seems like a good idea.

[Wednesday]

yes great book, im building a cold frame from an old window from a mobile home, its some sort of synthetic

i feel weird about glass in the garden

[uNkNowN ElEmEnt]

Is anyone going to do a winter garden? Any tips for when you start the fall plantings?

I want to do turnips, carrots, potatoes and onions. Does anyone know of anything else I can do?

[aflatoxin]

It depends on where you live:

Wheat
Brussels sprouts
Snow peas
Cabbage

Look for a copy of the "complete Guide to Organic Gardening" Rodale Press in your used bookstore. Also a copy of "A Modern Herbal" if you can find one. May very well be the only gardening books you ever need.

Green cover on any bare spots with annual ryegrass for the winter

And, FWIW, try not to use hybrid seeds, because they won't breed true if you save them from the plants you grow. Not that hybrids are bad, but you can never, ever, save a lifetime supply of hybrid seed. Heirloom seeds can do almost as well, if you reaserch a little.

[Olaf]

See this thread too:

http://www.peakoil.com/fortopic10805.html

Olaf

[uNkNowN ElEmEnt]

Does anyone put any stock in planting by the moons schedules or cycles? I have to say that some of the information in these books about plantings seems hokey.

[OldSprocket]

Is anyone going to do a winter garden? Any tips for when you start the fall plantings?

I want to do turnips, carrots, potatoes and onions. Does anyone know of anything else I can do?

Good news. Eliot Coleman's Four Season Harvest has a map of first frost dates followed by two pages of charts telling when to plant what for late-season harvest.

Bad news. The map is only the U.S. of A. The chart may help you if you can get first frost data for your area.

My guess for Vancouver first frost is 10/30 for which Eliot's chart shows:
Turnips 8/1 - 9/15
Carrots 7/11 - 8/15
Potatoes 7/20 - 8/10
Onions (green) 8/1 - 10/15 (no dates given for bulbing onions)

The book is very helpful for extending the gardening season. When it was my only gardening book I didn't like it. Now that I have others this one is very useful.

[OldSprocket]

Does anyone put any stock in planting by the moons schedules or cycles? I have to say that some of the information in these books about plantings seems hokey.

This year I planted half my beans and butternut squash on June 2nd when three different moon calendars said NOT to plant anything. Then I planted the second half on June 9th when calendars said to plant above-ground crops.

The beans planted at the "bad" time are doing great. Black Coco and Provider are both loaded with beans. Calypso and Scarlet Runner are doing OK with more flowers still on the plants. There are some small squash out there and more flowers. (The season here starts late and ends late too.)

The beans planted at the "correct" time are still tiny plants. No beans about it. No squash either.

[uNkNowN ElEmEnt]

I went to the gardening center yesterday. I wanted to know if you have to get different kinds of plants suitable for "over wintering".

She didn't seem to know. She said they just had the usual seeds and that was it. So she didn't actually answer my question just said they had regular seeds.

I am sure I've heard of people doing potatoes, and carrots but what about say radishes and turnips? Has anyone ever done this?

[holmes]

Yo bro. let me help u. Order this book called Encyclopedia of Organic gardening.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... 0?v=glance

its got addresses and numbers where to get non gmo seeds. Viable ones. real ones. Its got all u need for your gardens. its the bomb.
order it asap. Im sorry i dont have the time to help u personally. I dont own a tv or home computer so i only come here at the job. .

[Wednesday]

My peas have died, so I'll replant after I harvest the tomatoes. The tomatoes are HUGE and I think they may have just crowded out my peas and green beans. Also, i think my trellis is inadequate and needs some re-thinking.

I'm doing sq ft gardening for the first time this summer and I'm experimenting with companion planting. I had no idea that tomato plants could get that big!

Everything I learned in Texas, I have to re-learn in BC. I'm glad I'm learning these lessons now, while I can still shop at my local Safeway when I fail.

[Wednesday]

My ISP farted. Double post.

[uNkNowN ElEmEnt]

Wednesday: did your peas and green beans not do well this year? Mine are toast. I think I have two barely hanging in there. Any idea what Ph level they need or do you think it was the horrible weather we got this year?

Yeah, thank god for safeway and the farmers market. On the plus side though I discovered a saskatoon berry bush behind my place. Want a sprig for next year?

[Wednesday]

hmm

i didnt consider that it might be something other than my own blunder

peas turned yellow and died, the beans just stopped growing, and now the tomatoes have taken over the whole bed!

the pole beans got off to a glorious start, but i think the western exposure i put them in, is just too much sun? i am moving the beans to the north side of the yard next time

next season tomatoes get their own bed, ill also do a strawberry bed

everything else is fine, but the deer trek thru here on the way downhill to drink from the lake at night, and my sweet beets are just irresistable to them

i will remember this when meat is scarce

i would love a berry bush, but August is crazy busy for us, let me figure out when we can get together maybe should check out when is the best time to plant that bush too, if spring is better maybe can wait

im so dismayed that we are still in this house, but as time goes by i really think we can get out of here and into a place that fits our needs better

i dont want to get too far from town, you know how lucky we are to live here

[uNkNowN ElEmEnt]

I think most people would say that spring is better for taking sprigs but I know you can do it in the fall. Either is fine.

I am going to try saving and propogating some of the seeds from it just to see if I can. I wouldn't mind having a whole hill of berries, not like its gonna get used for much else. But it would be nice to meet some time.