8.29.2011

Get your garden ready for the next season.


As fall approaches we often feel an end is near, as it’s time to put our gardens to rest for the season. One important thing to keep is mind is to prepare your garden for the next season.

Awesome tips handed 
down for generations:

  • Tomatoes – Many tomato plants yield right up until the first frost. Take all your green tomatoes and line them up on a baking sheet. Wax paper on the bottom and newspaper on top. Place them in a dark place. I put them under my sink. Keep an eye on them, they will slowly start to turn red over the next two months. Yes, it’s true! I had fresh tomatoes well into November. Some may rot, quickly remove them and compost.

  • Winter Hardy Pests – Many of us have never even thought of that. I know I didn’t until recently. If you had a pest that invaded your garden, be sure to remove the roots completely before fall. Some pests can survive in your garden over the winter, which means they’ll happily return to your crops come spring. Don’t compost them either, only compost pest free and non-diseased plants.

  • Mulch: After removing all roots and debris from your garden, cover your beds with mulch. If you live in Bethlehem, it’s free at the Compost center.
         Organic Materials: compost, bone meal, cottonseed meal etc., are some many options. Thoroughly work them throughout the beds once it’s cleaned out.

  • Repair Work – Now that you’ve removed everything from your garden, repair any problems, like rabbit holes, or water drainage issues before the spring. This way you have a lot less work in the spring and you may just forget by then also.

  • Make a List – take a look at your garden and see if you come up with a list of ideas, changes or fixes that you want to be ready for next year. This will help you from forgetting.

As always I welcome comments and tips so we can share with each other. I’m also opening the blog up for contributing writers. Seems my school schedule is a bit busy lately, and I’ve had less time to post tips. Any ideas are appreciated. 

1 comment:

  1. Awesome tomato tip! We had a couple of stalks on our tomato plant break in the strong winds this weekend and I was wondering if we could somehow salvage the green tomatoes from them before they die.

    ReplyDelete