Dear Reader, I seldom mention my landscape garden in these newsletters.  Compared with my father and siblings, I consider myself a rank amateur.  They talk to plants in Latin and  grow exotics from around the world.  I am restricted to plants hardy in zones 3-4. However, the feedback at our Open Garden day on the 1st August was very heartwarming.  Visitors, really enjoyed the “garden rooms” I created over the years.  The final layout is  somewhat influenced by Feng Shui principles that emphasize balance, harmony and energy flow. I started the garden with a rather disordered English perennial and shrub border.  Later I added a Japanese raked sand garden and tori gate.  A pond and waterfall came next followed by an Irish stone circle, rock garden and herb ring.  The final “room” is a secluded secret garden surrounded by trellis and vines.  The wilder parts of the garden are crammed with self-seeding foxgloves which look stunning in August.  Orianne plants annual beds and pots to add spots of overflowing bright colors.  I love it! This months article is a reprint from last August’s newsletter.  It is still the most relevant for this time of year – preparing for Fall.  Taking my own advice, I planted over 40 varieties of cool weather vegetables in seed trays.  I am determined to have plenty of greens this winter! Best Regards, Roland Evans Organic Bountea  Forward this email to a friend

Harvest to Prolong Production
Harvest
all vegetables regularly and often.  Most plants keep producing longer
if you remove buds, flowers, fruit and seedpods.  Tomatoes, beans and
summer squash prefer almost daily cropping.  Keep harvesting the sprouts
and flowers of Brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, kale, collards,
cauliflowers); they are tasty and nutritious.  As soon as production
wanes, be ruthless and clear the ground.

Collect and Composting
You
can never have too much compost or organic mulch.  Keep separate piles
for compost making and mulch collection.  Collect and scavenge as much
organic matter as you can.  Compost all green material as soon as
possible and keep excess brown material (leaves, wood chips, sawdust)
for winter mulch.

Organize and Stratify Seeds
Look
through your seed packets and order cold weather crops such as winter
lettuce, Brassicas, pea greens, beet and turnip greens, spring onions,
etc.  All var
ieties that grow in the spring can also be planted in
September.  Consider storing excess hot weather seeds (tomatoes, beans,
corn, squash) in plastic bags in the freezer for next season.  Pop seed
packets of spinach, lettuce, chard and carrots into the freezer
(stratify) for a week before sowing.  Germinate seeds in damp paper
towels and then plant indoors in a cool place.  This allows you to
monitor the number of plants you will grow.

Prepare the Soil
All
leafy greens like rich moist soil with plenty of humus and soil life.
Even root vegetables (carrots, beets, celeriac, turnips) grown in the
fall need plenty of organic matter to prevent hard freezing.  Add lots
of compost and the Bountea with M3 when preparing the soil.
Brassica roots do not connect with mycorrhizae, so it is unnecessary to add Root Web when preparing ground for the cabbage family.  However, Brassicas also deplete mycorrhizae in the soil; add Root Web when you are planting a different crop after Brassicas.

Shade, Mulch and Protect
Consider
covering a cleared portion of your greenhouse with shade cloth to help
seedlings and transplants get started.  Make shade tents with row covers
or shade cloth. Get your row covers and plant protectors ready for the
first cold snap.  Mulch the ground as soon as seedlings pop up to keep
soil temperatures moderated.  Build up layers of compost and mulch
around plants as they grow.

With a little planning and some early
preparation, you will be harvesting vegetables through Thanksgiving and beyond.  Enjoy.

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