What do you do in your fall/winter garden?

10 years ago

I'm in N california, just north of San Francisco in the "wine country". We have very mild winters with some light frosts mostly, but a few heavy frosts (not freezes)
We are still having 85* weather, but that's supposed to break this week, and will be dropping by about 10*. Still have a couple of tomatoes going as well as tomatillas. Herbs are going gang busters. Other things are slowing down or stopped.
I have 6 4x8ish beds and 2 3x3. I just bought 3 8'x40"x1' raised containers from my neighbors who moved, but they put some soil in that just burned everything up, so I'm having to start fresh with those.
So, this time of year I clean out all of the dead and dying veges. Anything that has thorns or looks diseased goes out in the far corner of the property (a little over an acre) to the never to be used compost heap!
This is the time of year I pay attention o my compost. I have a leaf vac that chomps up all of the neighbor's leaves (they love this!) and I bag it to use throughout the winter months. I also top any beds I won't be using with the chopped up leaves and compost. Then I cover with cardboard to keep the horsefield weeds down!
I do plant the 2 closest beds to my deck (don't like tromping out in the rain to pick dinner!) and have planted one of my raised up containers with some lettuces and smaller things.
I'm trying Brussel sprouts one more time (aphids LOVE them), I have a couple kinds of chard, beets, carrots radish, broccholi, garlic, onions and spinach.
I'm hope hope hoping fo a greenhouse this year to be able to do my starts on my own! Maybe Santa will come through! LOL Nancy

Comments (5)

nancyjane_gardener
Original Author
10 years ago
Well, no rain and big time (for us) freezes have killed off a lot of stuff, so I have a lot of cleaning up to do this winter!
I'm going to tear out everything from my herb garden. It got over run with nasturtium this year! I'll lay down different colored paving stones, leaving a few blank where there is creeping thyme. Then my large pots of herbs hopefully won't be overtaken by the nasty nasturtiums! We'll get some, but in a manegable amount! I can also re-do all of my gnomes into something entertaining!
I also got some really large pots from a neighbor who moved to Hawaii, so I can re plant in some of these (those plants froze also even though I had them under some trees!
Plans????? Nancy
lavender_lass
10 years ago
Hi, Nancy!

I don't have a fall/winter garden. My garden goes to sleep in late October and doesn't do much until April. Right now, I'm planning a few changes for the kitchen garden...

The arbor looks good and I like the beds that surround it on three sides. They need some work and I will probably need to move some plants, but I like the layout. It's the other side of the garden that needs some help.

I have a bench for the far end, but in between I have a round bed with the top of an arbor over it. We call it 'spidey' but it would be great for growing beans or cukes over the top with potatoes underneath.

Here's an older picture of the big arbor...there are beds on each side of the bench and they surround the arbor on three sides. {{gwi:1155204}}From Lavender's Garden

Here's spidey...LOL {{gwi:1155205}}From Lavender's Garden

I have another bench on the opposite side of the garden (past spidey) and I plan to have a bed on each side of the bench. On either side of spidey, I want to add a triangular shaped bed (actually a diamond) with lattice down the middle, so a triangle on each side. This should work well for tomatoes and other veggies I don't want the deer eating. Plenty of room to plant herbs and flowers the deer don't like around the edges :)

Quick sketch... {{gwi:1155206}}From Lavender's Garden

This post was edited by lavender_lass on Wed, Jan 1, 14 at 23:51
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I feel just like you Cybersunday, the interior of my house has been neglected and really needs a good cleaning. Spiders have been active this summer and I can't count the cobwebs I've swept up on walls and ceilings. For me, cleaning the garden in fall depends on the weather and the amount of time I have. I prefer to clean it up now because otherwise it's a massive job in spring and since I plant spring blooming bulbs, I find that it is more attractive when the garden is cleaned. For whatever reason, the leaves on the trees haven't fallen much yet and this will be another mammoth task as we have many trees on our property. I am like Glen and Bonnie as I have loads of potted tropicals and tender perennials throughout the garden. I started to bring the orchids and begonias inside for the winter and we've been kind of lucky because we haven't had frost yet so I have a few more days to cut back all those plants. Unfortunately, I can't save them all so I take cuttings of many tenders too. Although I too use to protect my plants, I haven't in the last 8 years. It is just alot of additional work and sometimes the end result wasn't worth the trouble. My philosophy is that if I have to protect plants with burlap or leaves, then they aren't intended for this climate. There are so many beautiful hardy plants that I can grow that I no longer bother with those that I know won't survive the winter.
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Andi, I don't know how to graft a tree, but a ton of info can be found on Gw. I guess once you know how it's done, it's a cinch..I'd need to watch someone actually do it, would love to learn. I think growing a fruit cockatail tree w/4-5 different citrus on one tree would be a great idea. Suzanne, you're sure correct about growing other things in mid-winter..I know plants like geraniums and petunias grown from seed need to be started in January.. Dale, wow, that is expensive for a tangerine!! What type did you buy? Will you sow the seeds then after it grows graft? I planted key limes seeds, but doubt they'll germinate. First, they're in a cool room w/o bottom heat, so that's a negative right there. It was an experiment, and if they work, they do, if not, so be it. Andi, if you have a camera you can alway take pics..that is time consuming. Yesterday I spent more than 2 hours taking pics of my cactus and succulents, then dl'ing online. If you get garden/tropical catalogs, browsing through them, making lists of what you want next spring is fun. I get a ton of catalogs, too many.. I also enjoy reading plant books. It's a good time to sit back, and like Suzanne said, sip a nice hot cup of cinnomon spice tea, or the tea/coffee/hot chocolate of your choice and read away. If you don't have books, check at the library. The computer is informative, but sometimes it's relaxing sitting on your favorite chair, under appropriate light. Andi, you never answered, do you have plants other than citrus? Toni
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You could also add a nice thick layer of fall leaves over the garden - shredded is best. Water them as you place them so that they stay in place. I would then till the leaves in once the spring comes. Leaves improve soil tilth, although depending on the leaves, it might drop the pH. Another option: Put shredded leaves over your garden space. (Be sure to wet them down as you lay them to hold them in place.) Then, when the spring comes, rake the leaves back off the soil (and reserve) let the soil warm up from the spring sun, and plant. Replace the leaves as a mulch over your garden. Then you can either till the leaves into the soil come the following fall or put the year old leaves into the compost with the plant remains from that year, and put new leaves down in your garden to repeat the cycle. Personally, I would incorporate the leaves into the soil in the fall - worms LOVE leaves! (And I love worms, so I do whatever I can to make them happy.)
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Carol, I'm going to try some greens this fall, but I don't have enough sun for much else. I had a community garden bed, but I guess I wasn't working on cleaning and planting fast enough for them, and they kept bugging me about it, so I just gave it up. I don't have time for control freaks in my life jstropic Well, we're getting the rain now, at least here in Gainesville. Like every year, when the rain comes, I'm both happy and aggravated. We Florida gardeners are a strange lot. We pray for rain, then curse it. In the summer, we can't wait for fall and in winter, we can't wait for spring. But through it all, we get to garden year-around, so not so bad.
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princesspea
10 years ago
I build things, and I am planting groundcovers, trees and shrubs so they don't totally fry trying to establish in summer. I am in San Jose, zone 15-also without rain but all winter long. I have been nursing my frost-hit citrus tree babies, and I am still harvesting raspberries from these crazy Italian bred ever-bearers!

I built lovely wood cages to support these berries, five foot long rectangular boxes with cross members to support the canes, and stuck some finials on top of the uprights. Also filled out the under planting of alpine strawberries.
I am making a grape arbor next weekend to span my driveway.

I am installing solar powered light strings to give nighttime enjoyment- this garden is surrounding the kitchen door entry yard where all friends and neighbors sneak in to help us eat dinner, so I may as well make it pretty :)

I am planting apple trees in a cordon along the driveway- opposite the berries- and considering chamomile and creeping thyme to carpet the ground- it's all wood chips from previous owner and I have to go slow as I want to install some stone pavers but only can afford two at a time .

I am trying to make the garden areas look established and formal, my house turns 100 this year and is in a very visible urban neighborhood on a busy street so I can't have a tangle of dead tomatoes or blue tarp shade structure showing . My potager surrounds my driveway and side entrance and is very visible from the street. Hundreds of people walk by daily and I gotta show off!

Anyhow, that's my winter, happy to read of others actions for more inspiration!

Pea
Jennifer_Ruth
10 years ago
Pea, a grape arbor over the driveway is an absolutely brilliant idea! Thank you!

Jennifer
princesspea
10 years ago
You're welcome :)

I have a small lot, so I must squeeze everything in where I can! Hoping the birds don't find a need to perch on the arbor and poo on my car ...

Pea

What do you do in your fall/winter garden?

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nancyjane_gardener
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lavender_lass

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What do you do in your fall/winter garden?

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nancyjane_gardenerOriginal Author

lavender_lass

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nancyjane_gardener
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