several people have asked me about planting a fall or
winter garden
so i decided to do a review on what to do
i try to use the kiss method
keep it simply simple
i use to say keep it simple stupid
but that seemed too negative
so its simply simple
this of course is for central texas but if you live in new york
or california it is of course different this time of year
but the principles are the same
first good soil got to have good soil
if you are starting go buy good organic soil
do not skimp on this
in this area the best is the natural gardeners hill country garden soil
there are others but the hill country soil is what the other ones
are measured against
it already has in it what one needs
all you have to do its plant your garden
you clear off your garden of any left overs from the summer
add 3-4 inches of good compost
that you make yourself is best
around here the lady bug brand of farm style compost or
manure compost is the other best
to this i add a light sprinkling of lady bug brand 8-2-4 or medina
growin green organic fertilizer
this adds nitrogen to be gradually realized for several weeks
then i add cotton seed meal lightly sprinkled over the bed
just enough to give a yellow tint to the compost
this provides a more instant release of nitrogen for the plants
then i gently stir up the fertilizers with the compost
then i plant right into the compost
i dont really work the compost into the soil
when i plant a transplant like broccoli or spinach i add a
small amount of earth worm castings to the soil
i water them in with a seaweed solution using eg maxicrop
seaweed which gives the new plants a boost from its
minerals which stimulate new root growth
new seeds planted according to the directions on the package
are watered with seaweed also
and are watered once or twice a day until they sprout
based of course on how much rain we have and the soil moisture
if the seeds dry out they wont sprout
why do i go to all this trouble to do all this to the soil
just
make a trip to the natural gardener and look at their fall garden
pretty dang amazing
plus
i spent a hour with their gardener asking him a ton of questions
then when i applied them to this years garden the result were
as my wife she says
amazing
during the winter i mulch my plantings well to protect them
i use pine straw i buy in bales
it lets water through quite easily but also protects the plants
by keeping the soil warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer
but you can use leaves newspaper etc
then
i use row cover a thin white material i buy at the nursery
it comes in a thin version commonly used in cooler temps
and to keep insects out
and then a thicker version that provides more protection
from the cold
when its going to be freezing i keep them covered
when it warms up like it does here in central texas i
just roll it up out of the way
so thats how you do it
fall winter gardening
the absolutely best time to garden in central texas
today i will plant more spinach plants and replant some
broccoli and kale the wind and insects destroyed
ive replanted a block of lettuce and beets that we will
eat in our salads
and will replant another block later on
so in my garden now i have sweet peas parsley cilantro
asian greens swiss chard broccoli kale beets carrots
lettuce spinach multiplying green onions chives arugula
garlic
nows your chance
go for it
the organicgreen doctor
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