Fall/Winter Gardens

[sameech]

I live in the northern margins of Zone 7. In the fall I usually plant just turnips, mustard, and collards. I ordered my seeds this morning as well as some of my early spring seeds since it is hit or miss what is available at retailers in my area in early spring.

Anybody else plant a fall/winter garden? If so, what do you plant?

I have considered using frost blankets this year--anybody use them and what sort of recommendations/cautions do you have?

 

[pismoe]

swiss chard , brussel sprouts , spinach , beets , turnips and pile leaves on the Greens if you know its a hard frost coming . Brussel Sprouts should probably be planted about know and we plant them next to a heated building so a mini climate is created . B. Sprouts get too big to cover with leaves .

 

[JWBooth]

What's winter?

 

[sameech]

What's winter?

That time of year when you Texans spray white stuff all over your yard so "White Christmas" makes sense and your highways get shut down because of stuff that would barely cause an hour school delay in my area.

 

[sameech]

swiss chard , brussel sprouts , spinach , beets , turnips and pile leaves on the Greens if you know its a hard frost coming . Brussel Sprouts should probably be planted about know and we plant them next to a heated building so a mini climate is created . B. Sprouts get too big to cover with leaves .

Do you grow your Brussels Sprouts from seed?

 

[pismoe]

yep , wife puts seeds in a pot on the patio and then into the garden after they gain some size , maybe 4 inches . We live in a , think its a zone 7 and we had fresh sprouts on Christmas a few years back . We had sprout plants over 4 foot high and we got enough for a few pots of fresh sprouts .

 

[sameech]

I looked for some seeds when out early today but couldn't find anything. Where I live if you plant in early early spring, you will see a few small sprouts on the stalks right before the bugs devour your plants. in a matter of a week.

 

[pismoe]

thing is that we have seeds , saved from one year to the next plus my wife lets some plants go to seed to disperse naturally in the beds . Even though older our old seeds seem to work good enough .

 

[sameech]

thing is that we have seeds , saved from one year to the next plus my wife lets some plants go to seed to disperse naturally in the beds . Even though older our old seeds seem to work good enough .

By the time a lot of my stuff is blooming, I am having to rip it out to make room for new stuff. I get some random seeding going on in certain spots which can throw a wrench in that rotating crops thing. I have better luck saving or letting flowers reseed in place.

I bought some creasy greens I am going to add into the mix with the chard, turnips, and mustard for fall.

 

[Wake]

My garden's gone neglected because of work and being busy.

Would like to take a patch of it and grow various beets. Detroit Dark Reds, Goldens, and Bull's Blood beets. I hear their greens are more nutritious than kale.

 

[pismoe]

beet tops are my favorite of all the green but I eat all greens and I like them . I grow the types that say they are made to grow greens but I still get beets . I like the whole plant if the beets themselves are small .

 

[Wake]

I grow the types that say they are made to grow greens but I still get beets . I like the whole plant if the beets themselves are small .

This sounds like you'd like the 'Bull's Blood' heirloom beet.

https://botanicalinterests.com/products/view/0222/Beet-Bull-s-Blood-HEIRLOOM-Seeds
Bull's Blood Beet seeds | Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co
Beta vulgaris 'Bull's Blood' - Plant Finder
Beet Bull's Blood - Heirloom - LocalHarvest

I hear they have smaller beets, but yield many very delicious, blood-red "greens."

 

[pismoe]

thanks for the recommendation Wake , we will check them out . Pretty soon my wife will be transplanting greens from pots to garden . She starts swiss chard and other greens in pots and moves them to the garden for winter . These SWISS CHARD plants are about 4 inches tall and should grow pretty well so that we have chard throughout the mild winter .

 

[sameech]

beet tops are my favorite of all the green but I eat all greens and I like them . I grow the types that say they are made to grow greens but I still get beets . I like the whole plant if the beets themselves are small .

I am like that with turnips. I grow beets for the bottoms though. Usually the tops are too ragged to eat by the time the bottoms get ready. I boil them, peel and slice them up and then roast them with salt, cracked pepper, and butter for about 20 minutes. Good eating.

The rest I just pickle. I will be harvesting mine soon to make way for fall.

My garden is neglected as well right now, but that is not unusual as I try to plant early, harvest early, and avoid it in late July/August. My second corn planting is coming in, so after the next week or so, It will just be tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce until fall.

 

[Wolfsister77]

I live in zone 4. In the fall, there are various things I have tried over the years for fall harvest.

-lettuce, cilantro, spinach, carrots, chives-pretty much any time of the year, certain kinds of peas, kale, chard, cabbage, arugula

It's all worked out pretty well as long as I keep rabbit fencing around them to keep out rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, and our dogs.

Even though this is mostly about veggies, some great fall bloomers that I always plant are:

chrysanthemums, sedums, Helenium-from the Daisy family, Russian Sage-it's zone 5 but does well here, Goldenrod, and Asters.

 

[sameech]

I live in zone 4. In the fall, there are various things I have tried over the years for fall harvest.

-lettuce, cilantro, spinach, carrots, chives-pretty much any time of the year, certain kinds of peas, kale, chard, cabbage, arugula

It's all worked out pretty well as long as I keep rabbit fencing around them to keep out rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, and our dogs.

Even though this is mostly about veggies, some great fall bloomers that I always plant are:

chrysanthemums, sedums, Helenium-from the Daisy family, Russian Sage-it's zone 5 but does well here, Goldenrod, and Asters.

Goldenrod...Geez your garden must be sponsored by Clariton. That stuff kills me.

My fall garden plans may have hit a snafu--relocation. I may have finally gotten the house I have been after buying for months. It needs some updating and some odds and ends but if things go well we will be getting it at about 45% of assessed value post foreclosure as the bank just wants to be done with it I think as our local market is saturated with foreclosed homes in the same price range. Not sure I will have the time to do much gardening except with a chainsaw as it is a mostly wooded lot with more maples and mulberries than should be legal.

 

[Wolfsister77]

You know I think the Goldenrod was already here when I moved in. That could explain why I'm always stuffed up in the summer around here. LOL

When I moved in here, we had a ton of Elms. They are all gone-due to Dutch Elm Disease. A tragedy that has destroyed a lot of our beautiful Elms around here. Luckily, we have a lot of other trees.

Good luck in your new home Sameech.

 

[sameech]

You know I think the Goldenrod was already here when I moved in. That could explain why I'm always stuffed up in the summer around here. LOL

When I moved in here, we had a ton of Elms. They are all gone-due to Dutch Elm Disease. A tragedy that has destroyed a lot of our beautiful Elms around here. Luckily, we have a lot of other trees.

Good luck in your new home Sameech.

Well it isn't mine yet, but thanks. I won't know for sure until monday or tuesday probably as the bank is still stewing it over and then it would be mine in 30 days. Of course the irony if they accept it is that I had put in an offer for about 30% more on the same house and they said "No we have decided we will just auction it instead".

Was never a fan of elm trees. I like maple trees--just not close enough to crush your house or clog up your drain lines. I love willow trees but they are even worse about getting in drainlines.

 

[sameech]

You know I think the Goldenrod was already here when I moved in. That could explain why I'm always stuffed up in the summer around here. LOL

When I moved in here, we had a ton of Elms. They are all gone-due to Dutch Elm Disease. A tragedy that has destroyed a lot of our beautiful Elms around here. Luckily, we have a lot of other trees.

Good luck in your new home Sameech.

Well it isn't mine yet, but thanks. I won't know for sure until monday or tuesday probably as the bank is still stewing it over and then it would be mine in 30 days. Of course the irony if they accept it is that I had put in an offer for about 30% more on the same house and they said "No we have decided we will just auction it instead".

Was never a fan of elm trees. I like maple trees--just not close enough to crush your house or clog up your drain lines. I love willow trees but they are even worse about getting in drainlines.

The selling bank finally approved the sale so I should be moving in late September!!!

I am already plotting how I am going to grow at least something this fall. The house I am in is nearby so I might just plant anyway and sneak across the creek and through the woods and harvest while I can. It isn't like fall gardens require watering or maintenance in my zone 7B autumn.

 

[Wolfsister77]

You know I think the Goldenrod was already here when I moved in. That could explain why I'm always stuffed up in the summer around here. LOL

When I moved in here, we had a ton of Elms. They are all gone-due to Dutch Elm Disease. A tragedy that has destroyed a lot of our beautiful Elms around here. Luckily, we have a lot of other trees.

Good luck in your new home Sameech.

Well it isn't mine yet, but thanks. I won't know for sure until monday or tuesday probably as the bank is still stewing it over and then it would be mine in 30 days. Of course the irony if they accept it is that I had put in an offer for about 30% more on the same house and they said "No we have decided we will just auction it instead".

Was never a fan of elm trees. I like maple trees--just not close enough to crush your house or clog up your drain lines. I love willow trees but they are even worse about getting in drainlines.

The selling bank finally approved the sale so I should be moving in late September!!!

I am already plotting how I am going to grow at least something this fall. The house I am in is nearby so I might just plant anyway and sneak across the creek and through the woods and harvest while I can. It isn't like fall gardens require watering or maintenance in my zone 7B autumn.

Hey Congrats Sameech and I hope you find something good to grow at your new place.

Around here, zone 4A, for fall we have to water a lot before the ground freezes. Especially if it is something newly planted. We have very wet springs and early summers with lots of storms, and normals rains usually in the summer, but fall is always dry around here so I learned to water thoroughly in fall.

Speaking of trees that mess with drain pipes. We had a huge willow in our yard in the last house we lived in and had to have the guy out to clean the pipes at least a couple times. So no more willows.

I also can't stand silver maples. Tons of them around here. I get so many darn seedlings all over the yard, it drives me nuts. That's another tree I won't ever grow on purpose. Plus, they don't do well in storms and lose a lot of branches.

The city planted an oak on our boulevard. Not sure what kind but it looks like it might be cool. I've been watering it since they water it when they plant it and then leave it so I've been taking over. I really hate when the city plants trees in places and doesn't take care of them after they are planted. At least I know better.