Fall harvest and gardening

Sept. 29

Should have put all these in the open cars at church.  Lauren is pleased.

I apologize for the few weeks on vacation.

The first frost of fall was light, just touching the sensitive leaves on a few garden plants.  The days are short and the temperatures are lowering.  What grows in the fall?

BEETS.  Six weeks before the expected frost a new batch of red beets was planted.  Beets mature time is listed as 55 days.  They are right on track with root bulbs at 2 to 3 inches.  They have grown beautifully until a deer ate off the tops of about ¼ of the plants.  The bulbs are still untouched.

PARSNIPS.  Last year a huge crop of parsnips was grown.  Some of the roots were about 4 inches in diameter and about 18 inches long.  For parsnip lovers they were a delight.  Parsnips are often much sweeter when allowed to overwinter in the ground and harvested in the spring.  That turned out to be true.  The unharvested plants grew back and went to seed this year.  For those who keep there own seeds, they were very easy to collect.  In far north climates a thick layer of straw or other mulch may help the parsnips survive the extreme cold.  A good layer of snow is also a good protector.

CARROTS.  In some climates carrots will overwinter well in the soil.  Like parsnips they may become sweeter over the winter.  They may be dug throughout the winter if the soil is not frozen.  Next spring the carrots will grow new tops and a seed stock will emerge producing new seeds.  After the seed stock emerges the carrots become woody and not very edible.  Carrots will overwinter better in soil than in a bag.  The next best way to store harvested carrots is cleaned and in a very cool fridge. 

GARLIC.  Fall is the time to plant garlic.  Garlic is a cool season perennial.  Plant now and the garlic bulbs will grow into maturity next summer.  Varieties that do well in cold north climates are the hardneck varieties; Russian Red, Spanish Roja, Chesnock Red, and Giant Siberian are cold hardy and have a milder flavor.  The softneck varieties are less winter tolerant.  Softneck garlic varieties are Italian Late and Silver Rose. Plant the bulb with the root end down.  A garlic bulb has several cloves.  Plant each clove separately and each will produce a new bulb.  Plant about 2 to 3 inches deep about 4 inches apart.  Garlic needs a cold period before it will grow a new bulb.  If left unharvested the next year, the cloves will start to grow next fall.

PUMPKINS AND SQUASH.  The first squash was harvested but unfortunately it was not yet mature.  The first pumpkin was completely orange and is sitting on the front step.  If you want pumpkins and squash to store well, cut the stems just below where they are attached to the vines.  Leave unripe fruit on the vine and it may well mature before freeze-up.  After harvesting store them in a cool dry environment.  They will store for a long time. 



A zinnia, dusted with pollen, from my garden. Photo by Janet.