Fall/Winter Gardening

Planting your Spring Flowers in the Fall… we do it every year!

I think I could shout this from the rooftops for the rest of my days and there will still be so many people missing out on the most enjoyable gardening season of all: fall.

So, here it is: there are many hardy annuals that can be planted in the fall that will thrive through our winters as baby plants to become your first bloomers the following spring.  Most of us are familiar with pansies; well, there are many other plants with those same tendencies. We call them hardy annuals. Some of these hardy annuals prefer to have their seeds cast directly on the ground and others should be started indoors and planted outside as a transplant. So if pansies survive your winter, you can plant other seeds and plants in the fall just like we do.

Why plant in the fall? Planting in the fall allows the plant to establish a strong, deep root system during winter before having to produce top growth and flowers. This time of becoming well established gives your plants the rock foundation they need to stand on next spring and well into summer. These hardy annuals prefer cooler conditions, but when well established from fall planting they go right into summer blooming because they are so strong and healthy.

These are not fussy plants that need special treatment. You will be delighted in early spring when the first blooms appear.

(Click on the flower name to see photos)

Flowers that prefer to have their seeds cast directly on the ground:

Corn Cockle
Green Mist
Nigella
Larkspur
Bachelor Buttons, Blue Boy, Mixed Colors
Bupleurum
Dill
Poppies
Delphinium

Flowers that prefer to be started indoors and transplanted out in fall (Want to learn more about seed starting indoors? Click here):

Snapdragons
Veronica
Yarrow
Scabiosa, Fire King, Black Knight, Blue Cockade
Salvia, Blue Bedder
Sweet William 
Feverfew, Native, Tetrawhite

Flowers that can either be started indoors to transplant out or the seeds can be cast directly in the garden. We always choose to start indoors if given a choice.  There is less weed pressure and surer success.

Sweet Peas, Royal Mix, High Scent, Knee Hi
Rudbeckia, Indian Summer, Double Daisy, Goldilocks, Prairie Sun, Irish Eyes
Monarda
Calendula
Digitalis (Foxglove)
 
During those dog days of late August and early September, we will be indoors starting the seeds of all those flowers that will go to the garden as plants in October. We plant our seeds in the garden when true fall-like conditions exist, cool nights (55-65 degrees) and warm days. If you plant seeds outdoors too early and the days are still scorchers, seeds will take longer to sprout, you won’t have as many seeds sprout and the seedlings will not be as hardy.

Note: Fall is also the best time to prepare soil and plant perennials, shrubs and trees. Click here to see how to improve your soil

You can garden with us in the fall, when it is cool and pleasurable to be outdoors! To read more click here.

Only Work Dry Gardens!

The fall planted garden (about 12,000) plants covered in a blanket of snow. I removed the floating row covers from the hoops to keep them from smashing the plants. Snow acts as a wonderful insulating blanket.

I am beginning to wonder if the garden will ever dry out for early spring plantings and soil prep chores. I don't know that I ever remember a wetter winter and am holding my breath over crops that we planted in the fall. It is so wet that I can't even walk the pathways to harvest winter veggies without sinking up to my ankles–

I am most thankful during wet times like this that we garden in raised beds. Unfortunately because we have so many beds it isn't practical for  our pathways to be total permanent. A permanent walkway would be very compacted and mulched with either bark or some gardens have gravel- the benefit is you can get into your garden no matter the weather. Our pathways pretty much stay in the same spot from year to year–but this year even the subsoil (the layer below your top few inches) is saturated and makes for sinking when wet.

One of the most important things to remember is to stay off of and don't dig in wet soil. You cause damage to the soil structure that is next to impossible to reverse. Think of all the soil squishing that goes on under each foot step when the soil is wet. You literally squeeze everything together that is really hard to break apart. So the rule is do not walk in the garden when it is soaking wet as it is now and it is far easier to wait until the soil dries out to do your soil prepping chores.

You know that the soil is dry enough when you take a fist full of soil, make it into a baseball size ball and drop it to the ground from your waist level. If the soil ball breaks apart without large clumps, its dry enough. If it sticks together or has several large clumps, wait.

In addition to raised beds draining better, keeping your plants roots above the garden sea level when wet, but the beds also dryout and warm-up faster.

So hang-on for soil chores–read a good garden book and get smart. Clcik here to view the books I recommend.

It's just about time–

Lisa Z

My Store

Garden Abundance in January!

Today is January 28, coming off of a below 30 night, with lots of low 20 degree nights previously and I just harvested beautiful turnips, swiss chard, spinach and lettuces! I am really enjoying winter in a whole new way this year. I just love walking past the lettuce and greens in the grocery store thinking—I have those at home in my garden!

Although many say to me that winter is a tough time for gardeners, I beg to differ. Our garden is bustling with things to do and look at this time of year. I hardly have time to do my official winter chores of planning!

The Lenten Roses are budding up (the best deep shade plant ever!) and our Camellias are blooming. It's all I can do to hold the snapdragons and rudbeckias back from blooming to early. Although our gardens have literally been under water 2 different times this year from the fast downpours we have had-all seems to be well.

It's the perfect time to prune. If you aren't sure what and how to prune- Google your questions, there are many sources that can help you.

It's to early to start most seeds- visit my Learning Center and checkout the transplant guide that tells how far in advance to start specific seeds. Transplant Guide

Happy Gardening! Oh Yeah- don't forget to gather some leaf bags for mulch in your gardens!

Lisa Z

Visit my store

Garden Abundance in January!

Today is January 28, coming off of a below 30 night, with lots of low 20 degree nights previously and I just harvested beautiful turnips, swiss chard, spinach and lettuces! I am really enjoying winter in a whole new way this year. I just love walking past the lettuce and greens in the grocery store thinking—I have those at home in my garden!

Although many say to me that winter is a tough time for gardeners, I beg to differ. Our garden is bustling with things to do and look at this time of year. I hardly have time to do my official winter chores of planning!

The Lenten Roses are budding up (the best deep shade plant ever!) and our Camellias are blooming. It's all I can do to hold the snapdragons and rudbeckias back from blooming to early. Although our gardens have literally been under water 2 different times this year from the fast downpours we have had-all seems to be well.

It's the perfect time to prune. If you aren't sure what and how to prune- Google your questions, there are many sources that can help you.

It's to early to start most seeds- vist my Learning Center and checkout the transplant guide that tells how far in advance to start specific seeds. Transplant Guide

Happy Gardening! Oh Yeah- don't forget to gather some leaf bags for mulch in your gardens!

Lisa Z

Visit my store

Harvesting Tasty Delights in 30 Degree Weather!

Dec 30, 2009

I totally enjoying being a four-season gardener or receiver you might say.

I just harvested a tub of fresh lettuces, spicy greens, spinach, kale and mustard from our garden for very delicious salad mix and the bush peas are blooming! What a way to start off the new year.

It's Libby's fault that we have all these tasty goodies coming from the garden. Following the suggestions in Eliot Coleman's "Four Season Harvest", she planted two 75 foot beds this fall to supply us all with these morsels all winter long. Yep, that's right, we will be harvesting from these beds till spring in spite of already experiencing 23 degree nights. 

It has been really simple for me, because this is Libby's project, I have done little except eat it. She planted during the fall, Sept to October and got all the plants up and growing. Once cold weather arrived, she hooped the beds using 1/2" pex plastic pipe that is cut into about 6 foot long pieces. Placing the hoops every 10' by pushing one end in the ground along the bed edge and then pushing the other end on the opposite edge of the bed to create an arch across the bed. This plastic pex pipe (available in the plumbing dept.) bends very easily. To anchor the floating row cover, she gathered our garden rocks and placed one at each end and at each hoop. Pulling the floating row cover down the bed and then up and over the hoops. Best to anchor the ends first, pulling it not skin tight, but not drooping. Then place the rocks along the sides. This little mini-greenhouse took our snow storm earlier this month and held-up.

To harvest, just move the rocks aside and pull the cover off in that section. In areas that receive snow loads, a more protective cover can be easily put together, all instructions in the book.

Just about everyone can enjoy a winter garden. Eliot Coleman lives in Maine where it is long cold winter which gets serious snow and he harvests all winter.

You don't have to have a greenhouse or be a professional farmer to enjoy fresh, delicious bounty from your garden all winter. Planting the right plants at the right time and then with a few very inexpensive items- pipe and row cover, anyone can have fresh produce from the garden all winter.  Eliot's book gives the easy to follow steps to do just that. 

I am off to my annual friends weekend. It is always a challenge to give gifts to women how have everything–this year the gift includes fresh salad mix from Libby's garden. I think they will be thrilled and a little impressed also…

Happy New Year!

Lisa Z

Fall Planted Seeds for Spring and Summer Blooms

One of the
most misunderstood areas of gardening is fall planting of hardy annuals seeds. Planting
this group in the fall allows the seed to sprout into a baby plant and then to grow
a strong root system during winter. This simple fall step makes them ready to
take off and perform come next spring and summer. With their super strong root
systems these plants will bloom longer into the hot summer and be more resistant
to pests and diseases.  The plants will
have a solid, strong root system to stand on. This group of plants are known as
hardy annuals, they typical live one year and survive and thrive in winter
conditions up to zone 6 (click
here for USDA Zone Map- bottom of page). For those that live in northern regions of the country, you can
plant these seeds in very early spring as soon as the days begin to warm and
you can work the soil.

Planting Seeds Directly
in the Garden

(You can click on each of the seed
names below to go directly to that seed in the store that has a photo and
growing information.)

Many varieties
of hardy annuals seeds prefer to be plant directly in the garden in fall like
conditions.  This means you do not need
to start them indoors, you plant the seeds outdoors in the garden. This would
include: Poppies, Larkspur,
Agrostemma, Nigella, Ammi Majus, Ammi Visnaga, Calendula “Prince Mix” “Pacific
Beauties Mix”, Sweet Peas “Knee Hi” “Royal Mix”, Bachelor Buttons, Bupleurum, Rudbeckia
“Indian Summer” “Prairie Sun” “Goldilocks”, and Dill. We also plant a variety of Delphinium,
"Oriental Blue" that does well planted straight in the garden. All of
these seeds make excellent cut flowers and additions to your landscape.

The seeds should germinate into a seedlings in 5 to 30 days depending
on the variety and care. This little baby plant will do very little growing on the
topside, all the action is going on underground. These varieties are hardy and
will survive winter conditions. However, they may look a little weary during
the dead of winter, but don’t despair, come early spring your hope will be
restored.  New little shots will come up
from below and you will be amazed at the show.

The biggest challenge with planting seeds in the garden is
identify the sprouting flower seedlings from the sprouting weed seedlings that
should be removed. Number
one reason folks fail with seeds; they throw down the seeds in a random pattern
and then forget about them for a month and come back to find a mess of weeds
and can’t figure which might be flowers and what are weeds. They quit, end of
store, they are never doing seeds again and you can’t blame them. But with my
easy steps you can do it, if you want too. I also have a photo album of
many of the seedlings on my blog for easy baby plant ID, click here to
view. 

My tips for success for planting seeds in the garden:

1.     
When to Plant: It is the correct time to plant hardy
annual seeds when fall like conditions occur in your region. This means cooler
nights in the 60’s-70’s and days are still warm; here in southeastern Virginia that means
mid-September to October usually. (I have been known to plant as late as
Christmas with success!)

2.     
Preparing Soil: Always plant in well prepared soil.
For my how-to’s watch our TGW TV “Rocking your Soil” click here.

3.     
Planting in
Rows: When planting a working cutting garden, plant in straight lines.
This makes for this easiest identifying and hand weeding.  Mark both ends of each row with plant markers.

4.     
Planting in
Landscape: If planting a landscape and you want a mass planting try
this: using a stick, outline the area you want to plant each individual variety
of seed. Using your hand with fingers together, make depressions within that
area spaced about 9-12 inches apart throughout. In each depressions plant 4-5
seeds spaced out within your hand print. Place a plant marker in the
center of each handprint that has the seed name and date.  This method makes a depression so the water
pools where the seeds are and you know that within a few inches of each plant marker
you planted 4-5 seeds. This really helps in identifying the seedlings. Keep in
mind that not every seed germinates, stuff just happens. Always plant more
seeds than plants you want.

5.     
Watering: Your seeds will need to be watered
after planting.  Attention to watering is
very important when planting seeds in the garden. The more even the moisture
level is maintained the more likely the seeds will sprout on schedule. A great
advantage to fall planted seeds is we tend to have more rain fall and the
temperatures are cooler. This allows a little more relaxed watering scheduled
while still achieving success. It’s why we call it the “lazy gardener”
season.  One of the main reasons we use
floating row covers is because it prevents the wind and sun from drying out the
seed beds, more on them below.

6.     
Sprouting: To enhance germination with moisture retention
and to protect your seeds and then baby plants from rabbits and squirrels,
cover your newly planted seeds with a floating row cover. We cover ever new planting of seeds and plants for at least the
first 14 days to protect them from the harsh environment.  Floating row covers have become such a
security blanket for us for protection from varmints and for moisture retention
that I don’t think I would attempt gardening without them! For fall planting I
have been known to leave a cover on all winter. I garden in a very windy
location and appreciate the wind protection for my little plants.

7.     
Weeding: During the germination or waiting time
for your seeds to sprout you are going to have to keep a handle on the weeds
that are also trying to sprout at the same time. This is when those plant markers you used really come in handy. By
making it a weekly habit to check and weed your bed, you will have much more
success. Make it every Thursday evening or whatever and stick to it.

8.     
Ready for Winter: After your plants have sprouted and
are about 4-8” tall, they are ready for a meal and a blanket before they get
ready for a winter nap. After clearing the bed of all weeds, give the baby plants
a meal of an organic fertilizer such as Earth Juice Grow. This is a liquid fertilizer that will give them just what they
need to carry them through the winter. It is easy to mix in a watering can and
sprinkle on the foliage and on the soil for a drench. Next, mulch your bed with
any type organic mulch available such as bark, chips, or pine straw. Your baby
plants are ready for winter.

9.     
Thinning Seedlings and Why: Yes, you have to do this! We wait
until early spring to do this chore to be sure all the plants make it through
the winter successfully. This step is necessary for the health and vitality of
all the plants. How we do it; we just pullout the seedlings that are to close
together. Trying to dig them up to transplant often injuries the root system of
the very plant next door you are trying to save. The reason most of these seeds
prefer to be planted directly in the garden instead of being started in a pot
indoors and transplant outdoors is because they don’t like for their long
taproot to be disturbed. So trying to transplant them doesn’t usually work,
trust me, I have wasted enough time doing this for failure time and time again.
The moral to this story is, thin according to seed pack recommendations for
healthy, flourishing plants.

10. To Encourage Reseeding: The best
part of many of these hardy annuals mentioned here is that when they are happy
with the spot you picked for them, they will drop their seeds to return to your
garden again next year.  To encourage this,
don’t mulch too deeply around the plants. The dropped seeds must make some
contact with soil at the end of the season to germinate. Be sure to leave some
of the old flower heads in the garden to develop into seeds to drop into the
garden. Little else is needed on your part.

I think fall planting of seeds is one of the best times to get
acquainted with planting seeds in the garden, because it is the most forgiving
time. It’s because she, the fall season, often tends to our seeds almost better
than we do. She gives a little rain just when it is needed along with cooler
night temperatures and warm days. All which makes for perfect growing
conditions for our seeds.

When the spring time rolls around and your fall planted seeds
start to bloom, you will be so pleased with yourself and will have almost
forgotten about all her help.

We offer a seed collection called the “Lazy Gardener Seed
Collection” that includes 5 of my favorite hardy annuals. This is a perfect
companion garden to our summer cutting garden seed collections.  Click here for more information.