The Fall Vegetable Garden

Four Season Harvest - E Coleman

You can extend your garden growing season by using some of these practiced techniques. With the help of row covers, fall and winter crops can be harvested well into the winter and early spring. Cold tolerant varieties are planted in late summer or early fall, primarily in low tunnels, for harvest throughout the winter. This requires learning the correct planting window times for your location. It is important to keep records by writing them down in your Garden Journal, determine what works best, and make improvements. Timing is important when planting. Eliot Coleman refers to the winter "Persephone period” when with less than 10 hours of daylight plant growth essentially stops. For the best fall and winter harvest, plants should reach 75% of their maturity by the Persephone period. This winter period starts on November 6th and ends on February 3rd in the Treasure Valley.

Row Covers Row covers or low tunnels are essentially small greenhouses. Plastic irrigation tubing is used to make arches and clear plastic sheeting is pulled tight at either end and buried on one side. The other side is held down with long boards and used to access and harvest the plants inside. These covers are placed over the winter hardy plants in October and vented on warm days. When daytime temperatures remain below freezing they are kept tightly closed and only harvested on the warmest sunny days. Snow can make them inaccessible at times, but the plants inside remain well insulated and protected. When the temperatures warm enough to melt the snow, the carrots, lettuce, spinach, onions and other greens will not only be eatable, but will begin to grow again. When daytime temperatures are above freezing the cover is removed and only pulled back over on freezing nights. Watch a great video on how to install row covers!
Succession Planting
A continuous harvest is insured through succession planting, which allows for crops to mature at different times, provide a longer harvest period, and create a buffer if winter temperatures arrive unusually early or late. Well-timed, staggered plantings create a smooth transition from one harvest to the next for a steady supply through the winter. Cold hardy crops are planted outside in late summer, then a movable row cover or low tunnel is placed over them when temperatures drop below freezing. After the winter crops are harvested, open spaces can be reseeded with cold tolerant crops for an early spring harvest. Whenever a crop is harvested or grows beyond its prime it is removed, the soil is amended and new seeds are planted. All salad and Asia greens grow so rapidly that it is necessary to have sweet tender leaves. Overwintered crops protected by a row cover can be uncovered by the middle of March. These protected crops of Spinach, lettuce, leeks, and onions will begin to grow with the increased daylight and warmer days, but still tolerate nighttime freezing. The row cover can now be used to warm and protect a new planting of carrots, beets and lettuce. Crop rotation aids in not exhausting the soil, and pests and diseases overwintering in the soil and infecting the new crop. An example would be to follow early lettuce with beans, peas, or carrots. It should be three to four years before the same crop is returned back to the same plot in your garden.
Here's a link for Idaho: Vegetable Planting Calendar.
Garden crops
Garlic Allium sativum Garlic is an essential ingredient in most savory dishes, and is another flavorful plant that can be used at any stage of growth. In Asia, young green garlic is common and has a mild fresh flavor. Garlic is planted in October to allow for the roots to establish before winter. The garlic beds are then covered with straw or a row cover, which is removed in spring. It is related to both onions, leeks, shallots, and chives. When considering a location, it is important to also note that Garlic does not do well where Brassica family crops grew the year before. When the green tops begin to die back the garlic bulbs are loosened and pulled. They must be allowed to cure out of direct sun, with good air flow.
Leeks Allium porrum Leeks are an important part of my year-around garden. They are an essential ingredient in winter and spring soup. Leeks are a long season crop and are started early from seed inside, then transplanted out into composted deep holes for long blanched white stems. For a winter harvest they can be protected by row covers and harvested well into the spring. If leeks remain after winter and they begin to go to seed, the flower stem can be removed and sautéed with butter, then the root will form a white bulb in early summer. These “leek bulbs” are wonderful in stews and roasted. Early leeks can be planted in succession and harvested into summer.
Spinach Spinacia oleracea Spinach is a hardy green that can be harvested almost all winter. It will germinate and grow at temperature just above freezing. Fall planted spinach can be overwintered under row covers and harvested right up until hard freezes. October plantings will overwinter very small and begin growing in the early spring for a fresh new crop when the winter harvest has depleted. Spring planting can start as early as January and continue through April for an almost uninterrupted harvest. During the heat of summer Spinach goes to seed rapidly and other greens can be consumed until it cools and the fall crop begins.  

Radish Raphanus sativus Radishes are traditionally the first crop harvested from a spring garden and one of the last late into the fall. Because they are related to the Brassica family they should not precede or follow them in the same location. Radishes grow quickly in cool moist conditions. They are a fast crop and can be planted in small open space throughout the garden every 2-3 weeks. 

Lettuce Lactuca sativa Lettuce is an essential crop in my garden rotation. Succession planting of cool season lettuces in the fall provides salads well into December and the new growth begins again at the end of January under the protection of row covers. Lettuce requires high soil fertility and consistent moisture at planting. In the heat of the summer it can be helpful to cover newly planted lettuce seed with a board to keep them cool and moist until germination. Be sure to check them daily and remove the board when the first seedlings are spotted. Plantings at two week intervals to replace other crops removed has been the best way I have found to insure a consistent lettuce harvest. Any excess lettuce provides a much loved treat for chickens.
Tatsoi Brassica rapa var. narinosa Tatsoi is an Asian green that forms a compact, thick rosette and has a long harvest period. It is both heat and cold tolerant and is excellent both in salads and stir-fries. Succession plant beginning in spring at 2-3 week intervals for a continuous harvest. They should be harvested before bolting for a less bitter flavor. Control flea beetles and other pests with a floating row cover. 

Carrot Daucus carota Carrots planted the first of August can be left in the ground with row covers for protection and harvested all winter. The cold-soil storage enhances the sweetness and flavor as they remain in the ground. New spring sowing can be made in December for an early May harvest.

These carrots were in hoop house and pulled mid February.
Onions Allium cepa Fresh onion all growing season is attained by planting a combination of seeds and transplants. January sown ‘Copra’ seeds will be transplanted into well composted soil where lettuce has been grown previously and provide the main harvest of storage onions. Fall planted overwintering ‘Walla Walla Sweet’ onions protected by a row cover provide green onions during the spring through thinning, and will produce an early large bulb in June.
Beet Beta vulgaris From beet green at thinning time to baby beets, and fall storage beets are a widely available and flexible root crop. Beets do best in a neutral pH soil with a generous amount of organic matter. Beets can be sown under row covers in January for an early spring harvest, all the way to August for a fall harvest. They should be thinned to 2 inches apart and the thinnings can be added to a salad. 

Wonderful Bounty Throughout the Winter!!!

Growing Garlic - Misses & Hits!

The first time I planned garlic was in the spring of 2018 and thought I had to harvest in the fall.  However, when fall arrived, and I pulled up my first garlic plant, there was nothing there. Let me tell you about three major mistakes in planting garlic the first time.

1. Planted in the spring

2. Pulled the plant out of the ground

3. Didn’t read any instructions on planting and harvesting garlic

Garlic (Allium sativum) is a member of the onion (Amaryllidaceae) family and is classified in the same genus to which onion, leek, chive and shallot belongs. Evidence exists that garlic originated from Allium longiscuspis, since it does not appear in the wild as a species itself. The mutation that resulted in garlic probably occurred somewhere in central Asia. Most scholars agree that garlic has been used as a medicinal plant and food source for over 7000 years. The latter makes garlic one of the most ancient of vegetables. According to Bilijana Petrovska, “for nearly as long as there has been a written record of history, garlic has been mentioned as a food.”.

Types of Garlic:

Garlic may generally be divided into two subspecies: ophioscorodon (hardneck or topset garlic) and sativum (softneck or artichoke garlic). Hardneck garlic produces elongated flower stalks (technically called scapes) and bulbils at the top of the stalk. Softneck garlic does not produce bulbils, except in times of stress.

Hardneck garlic may be purple, purple striped, or white and is represented by varieties such as Roja, German Red, Valencia, Continental, and Creole. Creole garlic, a late variety covered with a deep purple skin.

Softneck garlic is also referred to as Silverskin, artichoke, or Italian garlic. Softneck types are best represented by the varieties California Early and California Late. Silverskin garlic may also be differentiated into many-cloved or few-cloved varieties, and may also be tan, all white, or purple tinged. 

Elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum) is not true garlic but a type of leek that produces very large cloves (often only 3 or 4 per bulb). Several small bulblets may also develop. Its flavor is milder than garlic and can be slightly bitter.

Planting:

Garlic can be planted late in the fall, after other tasks are finished. The cloves will produce roots and minimal shoot growth before going dormant late in the season. Growth resumes in the spring and the bulbs develop, called bulbing, in mid-summer. Fall planted garlic plants are more mature and will form a larger bulb while spring plantings of cloves will result in smaller heads of garlic.

Ideally, the first garlic leaves should emerge above the ground prior to freezing temperatures in the fall. Planting too early can result in more above-ground growth that will be vulnerable to winter damage. Do not plant store-bought garlic from the grocery store produce aisle. It may have been treated to prevent sprouting—good for shelf life, but bad for planting. Select the healthiest bulbs for replanting. Since garlic is propagated asexually (without flower or seed) selecting propagation stock with ideal characteristics will maintain those characteristics from year to year.

Pest Management:

Garlic are generally pest-free, or the pests found are well-tolerated by the plant. Scout or observe the garlic planting regularly for any plant injury and make control decisions based on the pests found in the planting. Some of the more common pest problems include:

Insect Management

Thrips are insects that suck juices from the leaves, causing damage. Thrips injury will cause the garlic leaves to turn a silver color with patchy, dry spots. Typically, this damage will not reduce the quality of the garlic bulbs.

Bulb maggot is a fly larva that feeds on the developing bulbs. It is rarely a significant pest of garlic. Soils high in organic matter can encourage maggots. Crop rotation will help control bulb maggot.

Disease Management

Bloat nematode can be a major problem if introduced to the garlic planting. These microscopic worms feed inside the heads causing swollen or misshapen heads and cloves. Once nematodes get into the soil, they cannot be controlled without significant treatment.

Bulb rot will be a problem in wet years or in poorly drained soil.

Harvest and Storage:

When the lower leaves begin to yellow, the garlic is ready for harvest. The leaves are connected to the garlic bulb wrappers below. Waiting until leaves turn brown will result in rotted or missing wrappers. Also, as the bulbs mature, they may dry and split, leading to shorter storage life or bulb rot.

Garlic should be cured or dried prior to storing it for later use. Start by brushing off any soil remnants clinging to the bulbs. Do not wash them off or get the bulbs wet. Leave the stalks and roots on the bulbs while they dry.

Allow the bulbs to cure for 3 to 4 weeks in either a well-ventilated room or a dry, shady spot outside. Sunlight can change the flavor of fresh garlic.

Once the tops and roots have dried, you can cut them off, if desired, or leave them on and braid the garlic into bundles of four to six plants. You can also further clean the bulbs by removing the outer skins. Just be careful not to expose any of the cloves.

For more information check out these sites:

From Garden to Table: Garlic!

Garlic Production