I recently had the privilege of being interviewed by Northwest Harvest about working with local food banks. Here is a link...
Notes From the Field
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Preparing for Spring with Cover Crops and Soil Building 2015
Our summer season has officially come to a close. The leaves
are continuously transitioning into their winter apparel, issuing forth a
profusion of reds, oranges and yellows in the maple understory on the hills
surrounding our farm. And although it may seem like a season of rest is upon
us, there are still a number of jobs yet to accomplish before retiring the
garden until the spring. Maybe you are a fair weather gardener; your season
encompasses the warmest months of the year that span from May until September.
This abbreviated version of the growing season leaves out some of the most
critical times of the year for both building soil and preparing your garden for
the next summer. The time that exists between early September and early
November is what I typically think of as one of the two shoulder seasons. The
fall shoulder season can be a very productive time. It is the season for
planting greens, cilantro and spinach. It is the time for preparing beds for
over-wintering leeks, carrots or parsnips. It is the time for planting garlic,
for mulching unused beds, for pulling the weeds that are going to seed and for
putting away irrigation. And although the summer squash and cucumbers may be tiring
under the strain of the cooling nights, the summer planted kale, collards,
chard and choy are all thriving. The
spring sown Brussels sprouts and celeriac are nearly ready for harvest. And it
is when you may be tilling under your summer sown cover crops and sowing your
cover crops to overwinter.
So how does one go about using these very limited last days
of the growing year to the best of their abilities? How does one prioritize the
jobs that are left to be done? Perhaps it is best to begin by mentally jumping
forward to the spring. What are your goals for the next season? Improving soil
texture? Reducing moisture loss? Hastening your first harvest date? Fewer
irrigation repairs? All of these questions can help to pinpoint the goals for
fall that will increase your enjoyment of your garden during the coming spring.
For me, soil building has been a long standing priority.
After working in many sandy gardens, it became obvious that an increase in soil
organic matter should be a goal for every growing season. The most effective
way of doing this has been to incorporate a cover crop into the garden at least
once a year. Many gardeners working with small spaces find the easiest way to
add a cover crop rotation without giving up growing space is to plant the cover
at the end of the season (September) and allow it to overwinter. During the
winter, the fall planted cover crop protects the soil from nitrogen loss to the
atmosphere and soil erosion from wind and rain. In the spring, the crop is
allowed to grow until it is at the 50% flowering stage and is then turned under
and allowed to decompose. This added organic matter has several functions. The
small pieces of decomposed plant material act like sponges, trapping some
additional moisture in the soil. This is incredibly important in arid regions
where maintaining good soil moisture is critical to healthy plant growth. The
added organic matter also loosens clay-rich soils. It opens up pore space which
allows air to move through the soil and allows plant roots to grow. If legumes
are used as the cover crop (ex. peas, vetches and beans) it can act as a
readily available source of nitrogen when incorporated in the spring.
If cover cropping is
not an option, an alternative form of soil building involves fall mulching.
Although most people consider baled alfalfa as animal feed, it also makes a
rich and effective mulch. We have been using alfalfa as a mulch for our garlic
for the last two seasons. There is a noticeable increase in plant vigor in the
beds that received the alfalfa mulch vs. straw mulch. After some consideration,
the reason for this became blindingly obvious. Straw is strictly a straight
carbon source and sequesters nitrogen from the soil as it breaks down. Alfalfa (a legume) when incorporated in the spring,
increases rather than decreases the amount of nitrogen available in the soil
thereby boosting the production of following crops rather than stealing from
it. Weed-free alfalfa can be used to cover dormant beds to protect from wind
erosion during the winter months. When spring arrives, it is shoveled into the
beds and allowed to decompose just like a cover crop.
The list of fall-related gardening projects is long and
involved. It is hard to do it all. However, taking the time to care for your
soil is probably the job that will offer the most immediate and satisfying
rewards. Have a great winter, and Happy Gardening!
Winterizing Your Garden 2015
Now that the harvest moon has come and gone, it is time to
think about tackling those last tasks in the garden before winter. A little
preventative maintenance can save a handful of headaches in the spring. Here
are a few jobs to consider tackling before the weather really gets cold.
By now, most people have finished using their irrigation
systems but probably have not gone through the job of winterizing them.
Clearing all of the stagnant water from your lines will save you the trouble of
replacing broken fittings and split hoses in the spring. If you have above
ground drip lines or black poly tubing, you should have the ability to open up
the ends of the lines and allow any extra water to run out. Typically this
means removing either the figure 8 piece or the end cap from each line. If
there are low spots in the line, it is a good idea to help gravity along by
starting at the water’s source and then slowly lifting the line in a hand over
hand motion moving toward the end so that any extra water flows out from the
hose and eliminates unforeseen puddling in the low spots. If you have a below
ground irrigation system, you may need to put a little extra work into clearing
the line. An air compressor can be a useful tool in physically ‘blowing’ out
the lines. The strong jet of air does the work of pushing the water out of any
low spots.
If you have garden hoses laying around, clear these of
excess water as well. To eliminate any unnecessary weathering, coil up the hoses
and put them inside an out-building or on the shady side of your house.
Lessening exposure to direct UV rays can help lengthen the life of your hoses.
Gather up all of the hand tools that you may have left lying
around the yard. Shovels, rakes, trowels etc. should be brought in for the
season and put inside an out-building or at the very least under the eaves of
your house. As with the hoses, the length of life for your handles can be
extended by lessening exposure to moisture and UV radiation. Some people will
take the time to polish any rusty tools with a small piece of sand paper and
then oil the tools for the winter. This is always an option for the more
ambitious and conscientious gardener. At the very least, look over the handles
of your shovels and rakes. If they are starting to splinter and crack, consider
replacing them now so that you are ready to go next spring. Spare handles can
be purchased at most home supply stores.
For your wheelbarrows, roll them in out of the weather and
prop them up against a shed or wall so that water does not gather in the
bucket. As with the shovel handles, wheelbarrow handles are also replaceable.
Rather than purchasing a new wheelbarrow, consider repairing the handles
instead.
Mulch any unused garden beds to protect from wind and water
erosion. Good mulches are grass and alfalfa mixes. Be sure any mulch you are
purchasing is weed free. Spread the mulch to a depth of 4-6” over the top of
dormant beds. In the spring, this mulch can be turned into the soil and allowed
to decompose.
And finally, if you keep a notebook, make a short list of
any improvements or changes you want to make to the garden next season. Do it
now while it is fresh in your mind.
Happy Gardening!
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