What did you do in the garden today?

[LoveThatChick]

I just harvested my first bunch of sweet potatoes!

And they are now curing.

 

[HerbGir1972]

Picking greens it's a little early, but I need green smoothies

Add a little apple, little crushed ice, little crystalized ginger (1 piece) we blend down in our Ninja delish

The chickens got a bucket full too

 

[Double Kindness]

We have been busy with my medical crop here. Harvesting takes a lot of work. We are still taking down tomatoes and ghost peppers and cayennes.

 

[chickenmomma518]

I have a question what are good plants to start now that are good for the winter time? I really wanna keep gardening through the winter but I don't know what is good for Washington winter weather. Any advice?

 

[stasichick]

Chcikenmomma518 I am excited to see the response you get....

 

[lazy gardener]

Do you have a cold frame? Green house? How low do your winter temps go? A well constructed cold frame will give about 1.5 garden zones of protection for every layer of protection you provide. For instance, in my Zone 4 garden, I use a cold frame with a layer of glass and plastic, and have even used spun row cover as well to gain 3 zones of protection. This allows me to plant seedlings in October and November, and they start growing in March. I can be harvesting baby salad greens at the end of March. My fellow gardeners are not able to get into their gardens to plant until towards the end of April, and some of them, not even until mid May if they have wet soil. You can plant any of the cold weather crops with protection. You risk loosing some of them, but then, gardening is a gamble anyways! IMO, if I don't loose some crops to cold weather, I'm doing it wrong, because I'm not planting early enough to be pushing the season. Seed is very cheap, compared to having to buy all of your produce at the store.

 

[HerbGir1972]

I know our temps do not get low as lots of folks but I am putting up a few arches (about 18' X 5' worth) and a layer of plastic
I plan to be able to continue to plant into January, and start some early tomatoes in March maybe peppers too.

We are pretty lucky here having an almost 19-10 month growing season. January & Feburary really kicks our butts though.
March keeps you guessing so much a lot of folks plant early and have to replant late.
I am hoping a half row hoop may give me a slight edge

3 things to remember moist soil will collect the days warmth and protect plants during the night. Layer of straw helps control weeds and excess moisture.
Close up you hoops/houses before sundown, to hold in the days heat.

Knowing what will withstand and what will not is one of the best lessons, I recommend folks wanting to grow their own food thru most of the year should learn.

 

[HerbGir1972]

We picked another 2 gallons of greens, blanched and put in the freezer for winter.

 

[jerryse]

Garden is about done . Some turnips and radish still . A few tomatoes . No frost yet . Rained all day . Have some pecan seedlings to plant . I now pot small trees and other small starts for a year or so . Seems to establish them better . Need to plant my grape vines in the ground . I put them in 5 gallon buckets this spring and they grew 3 to 6 feet . The buckets are full of roots . They come out as a chunk for planting .

 

[waddles99]

I have a question what are good plants to start now that are good for the winter time? I really wanna keep gardening through the winter but I don't know what is good for Washington winter weather. Any advice?

pack potato tubers in a bale of hay with some manure or fertilizer and wrap it in greenhouse cover vinyl