Is it time to put the garden to bed -- or NOT ?

Most people are talking about putting thier gardens to bed in the fall but here in the Southeastern U.S. it is time to 'get crackin' and get plantin'. Here is a short article I wrote for the Renegade Farmer on the winter garden. And as soon as I post this............... I'm off to plant garlic!!

http://www.therenegadefarmer.com/2012/09/time-to-put-garden-to-bed-or-not.html

Isn't it wonderful to have (at least) two growing seasons? I can endure the heat of summer because I know the winter garden can be fabulous. I planted garlic a couple days ago.

Same here. I have about half of my garlic planted, and am still planting buckwheat where I dig sweet potatoes, have all sizes of mustard and plan to plant more soon along with more lettuce and kale and some crimson clover and rye. The honey bees are busy on arugula, basil, anise hyssop,perilla and marigold flowers and we have had such nice rains lately everythng is lush and almost spring green looking...and it is cool enough my energy level has recovered. We do look forward to that occasional snow or ice storm that happens here to really put a stop to things for a week or two.
I have a whole list of fall transplants and divisions to make while the ground is wet...my version of rearranging the furniture.
I'm lookin forward to reading your article.

edited to add...I found the renagade gardener site and your article...excellent...you've probably inspired some gardeners to get right back out there and plant. My kindle would barely keep it loaded long enough to read and it won't do movies or talkies but it looks like an interesting site.
Among the fall greens that I plant to winter over are weld and woad...both biennial dye plants that don't like our hot summers...they grow a little all winter and take off in the spring and bloom/seed in june.

Was that picture a garlic or an elephant garlic? It's as big as a freaking onion..

That is elephant garlic. I plant both true garlic and elephant garlic.

My true garlic is really potent stuff but I am spoiled by the large cloves from the elephant garlic - it is trading taste for size though. Tonight while I was planting I ate a tiny clove from true garlic - too small to plant - and I am walking around in a garlic haze. Amazingly wonderful flavor.

I wish we had a Garlic fest near us - I would go every year!

The homegrown garlic is so different from store garlic, isn't it?

Oh, yes. Just like everything else we grow - now that we grow our own it is painful to have to buy it. I used to run out of garlic around march or april while I was waiting for the may/june harvest. Just hated having to buy it.

Just like buying oregano or eggs around here -- we have become so accustomed to eating our own that buying it from the store is an insult to the tastebuds.

Jeanine Gurley wrote:Most people are talking about putting thier gardens to bed in the fall but here in the Southeastern U.S. it is time to 'get crackin' and get plantin'. Here is a short article I wrote for the Renegade Farmer on the winter garden. And as soon as I post this............... I'm off to plant garlic!!

http://www.therenegadefarmer.com/2012/09/time-to-put-garden-to-bed-or-not.html

Very nice article, Jeanine!

I found winter gardening to be the easiest up in NC, too. A thin floating row cover or a cold frame kept the cold hardy veggies growing all through the winter.... with no bugs

Based on the other brassicas that you listed, I would also suggest trying collards and wong bok. They are so good during cold weather, but do great in the heat too.

We're fortunate enough to have not attracted cabbage loopers out here yet, but they are one of the biggest challenges to growing brassicas in the southeast from my experience. Hand picking on a dailly basis was the only chemical free method that worked for me (BT was easy, but less desirable).

Thanks for sharing!

Jeanine Gurley wrote:That is elephant garlic. I plant both true garlic and elephant garlic.

My true garlic is really potent stuff but I am spoiled by the large cloves from the elephant garlic - it is trading taste for size though. Tonight while I was planting I ate a tiny clove from true garlic - too small to plant - and I am walking around in a garlic haze. Amazingly wonderful flavor.

I wish we had a Garlic fest near us - I would go every year!

Ah, that would have been insane if it was regular garlic . I thought garlic was a creeping perennial with multiple bulbs .

I don't know that I would eat raw garlic (I'll certainly try it though!), but I think you've convinced me to plant some in my upcoming spring rotation.

Kay Bee wrote:
We're fortunate enough to have not attracted cabbage loopers out here yet, but they are one of the biggest challenges to growing brassicas in the southeast from my experience. Hand picking on a dailly basis was the only chemical free method that worked for me (BT was easy, but less desirable).

Bloody hell I think I've seen that kind of moth, and its larvae too >_<. I think they may be what's been eating the tulip trees around here. Hopefully my ground cover will chase them off.

Oh my, you all just reminded me that our garlic is ready to be tasted! Okinawan Pickled Garlic
We also planted a lot of root crops for fall, to give the big beast greenhouse here a chance to redeem itself for getting too hot in summer and being pest infested. Planted by the moon too this time, all of it, it's going to work! /cross fingers

on our farm we have found mache and italian chicories make a great companion to garlic planted in the fall and they can be planted late as well. . the chicory by transplants and the mache by seed. . if your saving seed from these plants it works out well as they are ready for harvest about july of next year, very close to garlic harvest and just in time to get a catch crop before the fall. . . I'm also trying salsify transplanted and shinguki chrysanthemum (which turned out to be the least hardy of the bunch). . I think bulbing fennel will make it through the winter as well and the blooms are magnificent
phacelia, mustard, arugula, feverfew continue to flower through frosts so far. . . z5