How to Grow a Winter Garden: Harvest and Update

I showed you our Fall and Winter Garden, but haven't given an update in awhile, so I thought I'd share with you!

The Garlic beds (small top picture) are doing great.  Both the Spanish and Italian varieties are up and that makes me happy.  I've never grown garlic before and I was jealous of others who were pulling theirs up in late July and August.  Hopefully I get some good cloves!  Also, if you haven't planted yours yet, get it in quick!  You can even try some from the grocery store if you can't make it to a nursery for a certified bulb or two.  Or three.

Our little patch of 7-8 Snow Peas in the strawberry bed (middle right picture) have been attacked again and again by the slugs.  It's way too good of a hiding place for them.  The slugs don't seem to want the pods, but they are eating the plants so much that I know it's hindering their growth.  However, I'd never grown snow peas before, and it has been nice to grow them, so we enjoy a little harvest every few days.  They continue to grow, despite the weather becoming much colder.

The space where we built the new Cement Block Bed (bottom right picture) has turned out great.  The garlic is beginning to come up in the holes of the blocks which is awesome.  Hopefully it keeps some nasty slugs and critters out.  This bed has radishes mixed in with carrots on the left, and bok choy on the right.  Everything's doing well!  The radishes are beginning to bulb a bit, so hopefully they'll be ready to eat soon.  Also, the carrots have begun popping up everywhere.  I'm sure they'll do well, so long as the slugs don't eat the leaves before they get a chance to grow.

The East Bed (bottom middle picture) is the most fun.  We have a straw-covered block of garlic that is doing well, a block that is solely radishes, radishes with spinach, and radishes with carrots.  Yes, I'm growing lots of radishes!  HOWEVER, for a plant that is supposed to be so easy to grow, I'm having a difficult time, so I planted them everywhere.  I finally harvested one today!  It was so exciting!  I'm hoping to do roasted radishes at our Thanksgiving dinner table.  We'll see!  It would also be nice to throw some spinach in our salad, but I'm not certain that will happen.

The Greenhouse (bottom left picture) is such a joy.  I have a feeling that next winter, I'll bulk up growing in there.  It's just a plastic covered greenhouse, but it holds the warmth quite well.  I have several lettuce, kale, purple-headed broccoli, basil and leek seedlings growing, some flowers that are overwintering there, strawberries that were runners that happened to land in the herb pots and I'm letting stay, and our trashcan for potato growing.  I couldn't believe how many we got for our end-of-summer harvest.  I know they might not produce potatoes, but I read some success stories of starting them early, and the summer potatoes were far superior, so I had to try again.  So far, they are growing well in the greenhouse.  I continue to cover the growth with more soil and I'll do that until I come within an inch of the top.  Then we'll see what happens!

Everything grows slower than in the spring and summer.  You can tell it's quiet out there, you know?  This part of the earth is very drowsy right now, and I know I'm fighting that, but it's been nice to eat something from the garden occasionally.  It's also been great to experiment and keep learning about my garden.  It's definitely worth it, even if I just get garlic and some more snow peas.

Are you growing a fall or winter garden?  Have you harvested anything yet?  What are you growing?

How to Grow a Fall and Winter Garden

(These are my snow peas.  I've got several that are about 2" long.  I'm veeeeeery tempted to try one because I haven't eaten anything but herbs and green onion out of my garden in several weeks, but I'll be patient and let them grow...I guess!)

I loved my spring and summer garden this year!  Though I have been gardening and interested in gardening since I was a child, it was the most variety I have ever grown, and I enjoyed my successes so very much and I learned a little patience with my failures.  

The only problem was that I started my spring and summer garden very late this year.  I started seedlings mid May!  So I barely got a spring crop at all, and with that started so late, my summer crop was also started late.  On top of that, I had a very disorganized and tiny amount of space.  I felt like I was just "getting it" late summer and when fall came, I hadn't gotten my fill.

I started reading more and more about fall and winter gardening, my zone (7b-8a) seems pretty happy to oblige a fall and winter garden, and so I decided to plant one.

Honestly, things may die.  We might not get anything out of it except for garlic (next summer) and experience.  However, I'm hoping that I've chosen nice little micro-climates in my yard that will provide some warmth and shelter.  I also did my best to chose plants that would survive the cold.  We'll see!  Here's what's growing:

Part of our home school curriculum is gardening.  Not only can you learn a skill, but about seasons, about the earth, how does a seed grow into a plant, anatomy of plants, etc., etc.  It really is endless!  My husband built these great little boxes that are 12"x 12" wide and about 18" deep.  They're perfect for the plants the kiddos picked out and they're easy for them to water and observe.

I am growing garlic for the first time!  I planted a Spanish Hard Neck as well as a Late Italian Soft Neck.  The Spanish is thriving and the growth is probably about 8" tall.  However, I hadn't seen my Italian yet, though I planted the Italian at the same time as the Spanish.  When I pulled the mulch back yesterday, I saw a little growth poking out of the clove!  I'm very excited!

Here's the Spanish Hard Neck bed.  There she grows!

This is one of the radish beds (breakfast variety?) in a bed that is not raised.  It's struggling.  Those are thinnings on the ground, by the way!  They are struggling because of the insects, I think.  Though I'm having a hard time seeing anything that's eating them.

I think plants, even smaller ones, know when they are in a raised bed.  For some reason (knock on wood!), the slugs and bugs (with the exception of a few spider friends) have not yet found this bed.  This is the awesome bed that my husband built for me out of re-purposed wood.  And my oh my!  My plants love this bed.  These are radishes (I think breakfast radishes) and rainbow carrots, which you can see coming up if you look closely.  I'm crossing my fingers that I'll be able to overwinter the carrots.  I haven't told my children that they're rainbow carrots.  I want it to be a surprise when we pull them up!

This is another one of my favorite beds.  The upper and lower rows are spinach, the center is more breakfast radish.  Yes, I went a little crazy with the radishes!  I wasn't successful growing them this summer (I started them too late in the spring!), so I'm trying several areas of the yard.

They are also a very quick crop.  I read that you can sprinkle them in when you sow carrot seeds as they grow fast and can be harvested shortly after your carrots are beginning to germinate.  They also mark the rows where you planted the carrots.  So I'm trying that!  They are also quite cold hardy.

Last but not least, the poor cement block bed that has been planted three times and is now a netted fortress of doom.  The garlic has been planted--1 clove in each hole of the blocks--carrots (baby and rainbow), radishes (Cherry Belle), one broccoli seedling that I saved from when my greenhouse blew over (grrrr), and the Bok Choy that I planted has germinated and we'll see how that does as well.

Because of the cat, I keep finding random radishes popping up all over the place.  However, I'll let them grow as I plan on putting some lettuces, broccoli and kale in here once they're germinated and grown a bit bigger in the greenhouse.  

To sum it up, Fall and Winter gardening is awesome!  I can't wait to see what makes it and what doesn't.  I'm having fun taking notes in my garden journal, and I'm hoping to record some crops.  I'll do a post next week about my little greenhouse and the happenings there.

Tips for Starting a Fall or Winter Garden:

-Choose your crops carefully!  Pick plants that are cold hardy.  

-Picking up  transplants from the greenery could be a good idea.  While you're there, ask them what you can grow in the winter.

-If it's too cold outside in your climate, try growing some herbs inside.  I'm planning on bringing some basil, parsley and rosemary inside for the winter.  I have a large window in my kitchen and I think they will look nice sitting on the windowsill.

-Don't forget to mulch.  It keeps the soil warmer and protects from frost.

-Grab some horticultural fleece.  If you have a night or two that will be colder than usual, these may just tide your plants over.

-Try lasagna gardening.  Or at least throw a thick layer of mulch (such as leaf litter, straw, pine needles, etc.) down and put your garden soil on top.  The mulch will create heat as it decomposes.

-Try to plant on the south facing side of the house.  This is going to get the most sun.  Also, a bed on the south side of the house with a wall on the west side would help keep a lot of heat in and would also protect from the wind to a degree.

-Buy a row cover.  They don't always protect from frost, but they can help keep the soil warmer.

-Don't be afraid to try something.  If it works, it works!  If it doesn't, try it in the "correct" season next year.

-Get a cold frame, hoop house over an existing garden bed, or a walk-in green house.  Even if you're just dealing with a plastic covered, unheated green house, it can prevent some insects from getting in and supposedly stay about 5 degrees warmer.  Even if you can't grow much, one of these suggestions will allow your spring and summer crops to come up a bit earlier.


Are you growing a fall or winter garden?  What did you plant?  What have you had success with in years past?

How to Build a Raised Garden Bed with Cement Blocks

I am experimenting with a fall/winter garden.  Even if it doesn't grow, the beds that we've built will be ready in the spring.  So far I have planted lettuce, spinach (about to get true leaves), radishes (some have true leaves), kale (ugh, still hasn't come up, so I'll be starting these in the greenhouse), rainbow and baby carrots (I plan on mulching these for overwintering), purple sprouting broccoli, leeks, onions, snow peas, bok choy and green onions.  I also have some parsley, cilantro, basil and rosemary in the greenhouse and we'll see how long they survive.

I'm hoping that I have found some good microclimates in my yard that offer more sun and warmth and the beds are raised and might be mulched which will add extra heat.

I also have a walk-in greenhouse, which is about 4x6' and not glass, but I know it'll add a certain amount of protection.

Remember when I ripped out my tomato plants for a new bed? Well, we built one more raised bed out of cement blocks in that spot over the weekend!  I'm very excited to have another raised bed.  The drainage is a million times better than it had been, I can put bird netting over it (for our cat...grrr), and I'll be able to cover with a row cover if I want to by attaching it to the fence.

It was very simple to build, and we're really happy with it.

First, we measured the length and width of the bed.  We also decided on some specs.  One thing we were worried about was the fact that the bed is up against one wall of the house and a length of fence.  We wanted to protect them with extra cement blocks to prevent rotting, so we measured them out and found blocks that were a little taller, but also thin enough to not take up precious bed space.

Next, we bought the blocks and set them up.  This was probably the easiest part.  You might want to take some gloves to the home improvement store if you don't want your hands getting ripped up from the blocks.  I use my hand a lot, and they're definitely not smooth and delicate, but I was surprised at how much damage they received from my loading and unloading them to the cart, then helping my husband place them.

Next, we laid down a 2-3" layer of straw.  As the straw decomposes, it will add nitrogen to the soil, but also heat, which will be helpful for my fall/winter garden.

Next, we filled it up with soil from our favorite greenery.  Do you see how rich that soil is?  I tell you what!  I can get anything to grow in there.  Buying dirt was a little mental struggle for me, because it's DIRT.  DIRT shouldn't cost money because it's everywhere.  However, this dirt is awesome.  And the dirt in our yard is not awesome.  It's either rocky clay or rocky sand.

Not pictured, are the holes filled in.  I bought one last bag of dirt and filled them in after I'd already photographed this.  After filling them, I planted them with garlic as fortress of doom to keep the slugs out...or that's what I tell myself!  Ha.  I'm not sure if this is the best place for garlic to grow, but I've got it all planted around the yard, so we'll see how the experiment goes.

It may not be the most beautiful raised bed, but it's functional.  And I like functional!  What are your raised beds made of?  What do you like about them?  What would you do different?

How to Ripen Green Tomatoes

Why do I have three huge bowls of green tomatoes (those are the largest bowls I own, and I filled that third one to overflowing like the others) with some more days of ripening on the vine possible?
There are four possible answers to that question.

1. I don't know. I'm still wishing they were on the vine with my tomato plants not ripped out.

2. After I pulled the squash plants, the slugs rapidly began turning on the tomatoes. Many were ripening with unsightly markings or half eaten. I hate slugs!

3. It's getting much colder. We've had rain and clouds, parting clouds frequently enough that there is definitely a chill in the air. I don't want to lose my tomatoes to a sudden frost.

4. My husband is going to build a raised bed out of cinder blocks in this spot for a fall/winter tunnel bed. The plants make the space unavailable for building.

So I cut vine after vine of the tomato plants, trimming green (most were actually at the white stage) tomatoes off as I went. I ended the plunder by savagely ripping out the trunks of my six wonderful tomato plants.

When I first planted these six tomato and two squash plants here, my husband laughed and said it would all get too big. I'd only planted determinate tomatoes that were of a much shorter variety and thought they'd do just fine. Ha! These Romas sprawled out and I never caged them. The photo above is after I'd cut about 5 times that much off.

To the point of the title:

How to Ripen Green Tomatoes

1. Pull tomatoes off the vine so they don't scratch or puncture the other tomatoes.

2. Wash and dry thoroughly. And I mean thoroughly! I didn't dry or wash a bowl so well and mold developed.

3. Layer tomatoes with a thoroughly washed and dried apple (apples aid in ripening).

4. Give them time.  Some are ripening in a few days, some a couple of weeks. If a tomato was picked too early, it may not ripen. I plan on freezing the tomatoes as they turn red, and then making a Tomato Sauce with the green ones added in with the reds once the process is complete for the tomatoes that WILL ripen.

Anyway, this is how I do it.  How about you??

How to Plant your Garlic

It's Garlic time!!!  Have you purchased your Garlic Bulbs yet? I did! Bought it on Saturday and I'm so excited! I have never planted Garlic before.




I don't have much room, though I'm hoping to have more garden space soon. We are going to be building two new garden beds!  I bought a hard neck (Spanish Roja Garlic) and a soft neck (Italian Late Garlic).

My little gal helped me pull the cloves apart and plant them. Good hand model, huh?

This late spring and summer, I've grown so many vegetables and fruits that are new to me. Garlic is definitely something that was on my list, and I'm happy to have some in the ground!

To Plant Garlic:

You've only got a little bit of time to start growing Garlic, and it's a one-shot sort of deal in the fact that it's only planted in the fall.  Garlic takes roughly 9-10 months to grow.  Here in the Pacific Northwest, we've got late September-early November as our Garlic planting window.  If you're interested, determine when it's best for your climate now!

1. Separate the cloves.  Be gentle and try to not expose the flesh by peeling the thin papery skin off.  Prepare your planting area by adding some extra compost and working the soil so it's nice and loose.

2.  Plant the garlic cloves in sun, 6-10" apart, 1-4" deep.  The planting depth depends on how severe your winters are--plant closer to 4" deep for colder winters.  Make sure that the root end is down, pointy end up!

3.  Depending on the severity of your winter, mulch with straw, hay or fallen leaves around the first frost.  Use 2-6", depending on your climate.

Have you purchased your garlic yet?  What varieties did you get?

Happy Growing!

How to Propagate Strawberry Runners Into Containers

My strawberries are running!  I started a very LATE set of Strawberry crowns (June bearing) about mid-may.  So far, we've gotten 4 ripe berries, another will be ready to pick today, and we about about 6 smalls still on the vines.  Not sure they will ripen properly.

About half of them decided to bear fruit, the other half decided to become massive and send out tons of runners.  Instead of planting ALL of the runners, I decided to just do about 2 per plant.  I think this will give the child plants a good opportunity to grow and be healthy, and won't tax the mother plants too much.  After choosing the two strongest runners (most developed, no damaged spots in the runner), I clipped off the extras.  I had FOURTEEN extra runners that I clipped off besides the twelve I actually used!

I believe that when you do this, you are getting a plant that is essentially a duplicate (clone) to the mother plant.  As some of the healthiest runners came from plants that did not bear fruit, I'm a little concerned that I won't get a good crop next year.  I'm hoping that these plants will have a good chance to grow into healthy plants all summer, and next summer, they'll forgive me for planting their mothers so late.

We'll see.


Start with some moistened potting soil (much easier to handle and much healthier for the plant), and some containers that have holes in them for drainage.  We're getting ready to move and wanted to keep expenses down, so I used some cups I already had.


Fill up your containers, and get some good ol' bobby pins bent opened a bit.  Just go digging around WAAAAY back in your bathroom drawer.  You should have some there!


See how this runner actually started making two plants?  The first child plant is at the bottom of the photo, the grandchild plant (can I call it that?) is up by my hand.  Since I wanted the mother plant to be able to support and do its best with the child plant, I snipped off the grandchild plant.


I snipped it off where my finger is pointing.


Place the bobby pin GENTLY over the runner vine.  Be careful!  You don't want to cut the vine on accident.  Remember, you can always open the bobby bin a bit.  You don't want it rubbing into the vine constantly and killing your runner.

Stick the child plant/bobby pin down into the soil.  The bobby pins did a great job of holding the child plant down the way I wanted.  If you have any roots developing, make sure they are held down into the soil.  For smaller child plants, just do your best to make sure that the opposing side of where the little leaves will grow upwards are planted down into the soil.

Make sure you DO NOT snip the runner vine yet!  It needs to take root and develop with the help of the mother plant.

I've already had the first runner that I did this with take root.  Took about two weeks.  I'm going to wait until the plant has developed quite a bit and has some new growth, at which time I will snip it off from the mother plant.  I'm guessing about a 4-6 weeks.  I want to make sure it has plenty of time to go through the shock of being cut off from the mother plant, and begin growing on its own before the fall/winter come.

That's the great thing about planting these runners in containers.  Once you snip them off, you can give them a little time to go through the whole shock process, and then plant them where you want them.  It's more shock than if it went directly into the soil into a permanent home, but less shock than if you allowed them to grow in the ground, then snipped them from the mother plant, and then dug them up for a transplant.

So, propagate away!  Only 11 of my 12 original strawberry crowns survived, but I've already got 12 of these child plants going, and I've got my eye on some more more runners.  I'll probably end up with 15-18 if I can get these child runners snipped off, and a few more started soon enough.  It's a great way to double your bed or fill in any bald spots.