BY Rey Ramirez

Soil Preparation  Start your winter garden by turning the soil, removing perennial weeds and grasses, and amending it with compost

Soil Preparation cont…  Cheat the heat as often as you can so you keep your soil preparation activities to a minimum. You do this by planting into existing beds without tilling. If weeds are a problem you mulch over them organic mulch or newspaper covered with a little soil or rock

Soil Preparation cont…  Cover the prepared area with clear polyethylene, sealing the edges with soil, to trap the suns heat. This doesn't sterilize the soil, but reduces populations of harmful nematodes, weeds and other pests.

Common Varieties Planted  Southern peas such as black eye, purple hull, cream and crowders make a great, edible summer cover crop for building the soil and providing food.

Common Varieties Planted cont…  Tomatoes and peppers need to be planted soon by the first of august if they are going to make a good crop before first frost.

Common Varieties Planted cont…  Grow fast maturing tomato varieties for the fall harvest. Look for varieties with less then 75 days to maturity, such as ‘Merced’,’Bingo

Time to Plant  Greens, such as arugula, spinach, collard, lettuce, Swiss chard, mustard and kale, thrive. Root crops, such as carrots, beets, onions and radishes, grow well.

Time to Plant cont…  Which crops to grow and the timing of planting in your specific area will depend on your location. In zone 7 gardens and the Pacific Northwest, greens are probably the best bet for an October planting

Time to Plant cont…  October is a good month to plant because the soil is still hot from the summer that passed.

Time to Harvest  Peas make a great fall crop. Some greens such as cabbage, cauliflower, carrots and beets. Keep producing in winter.

Time to Harvest cont…  Lettuce is one of the vegetables you can harvest all winter.

Time to Harvest cont… The types of crops to grow and the time of planting in your specific area will depend on your location.

Common Pest  If you are watching out for pest on your plants, look for droppings. Spray BT to control them at the first sign of there activity.

Common Pest cont…  Some pest are not really active in the winter. But slugs and snails still roam in winters.

Common Pest cont…  Some of the many pests are cabbage worms, slugs and snails.

Credits