Under the Arbor: Issue 21

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Under the Arbor: Issue 21
October 21, 2021

Happy Halloween!

I'm keeping this issue short and sweet, because life is almost as crazy right now as it is in the spring! Between harvest, cover-cropping, planting bulbous iris, garlic and prepping my duck family's lodgings for winter, I almost ran out of time for breathing! Things are supposed to be winding down (haha) and I bet you can relate, so I won't burden you with TMI this month.

But there are a couple of October "issues" that are worth reading about to keep your garden healthy over the winter and assure you a flavorful kitchen early next summer.

Oh, and have a Happy Halloween!

Growing Garlic

The only thing that’s difficult about growing garlic is remembering to get out there and plant it before winter sets in. Garlic is one of those kitchen essentials that we can’t live without - but for some reason many vegetable gardeners don’t think of growing garlic themselves. I think it's because by the time its late enough in the season to plant garlic, the kids have been back in school awhile, the leaves are falling from the trees, and most folks are more in the mindset of carving pumpkins than planting in the garden.

Cover Crops

What's the best thing to do with your garden beds in the fall? Most people just leave them bare until spring, perhaps with the winter-killed crops left standing. This is better than pulling everything up by the roots and leaving the garden completely bare, but it is not as good as using living cover-crop blends to assure that your precious soil microbes, worms, fungi and other friends are fed and sheltered throughout the fall, winter and early spring months.