Here in our area we can plant fall gardens that actually will grow all winter and into the spring. Kale grows well and easily without worrying about bugs and weeds throughout the winter. I have grown it until late May if I pull off the flowering buds all through the warming weather of April and May. Getting the greens started in the warm weather of the late summer and fall can sometimes be a challenge. Right now we are having particularly dry weather so some watering may be necessary. One only needs a couple of 4×8 raised beds per person to have green vegetables all winter. Lettuce, collards, kale, spinach (which is a bit more challenging), turnip greens, mustard greens, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, chard are many of the greens that can be grown. Talking with someone in town yesterday, they planted squash for the fall and potatoes will grow til the frost as well. Potatoes may only produce small new potatoes depending on how early you start them in the summer but these are delicious in late summer green beans. We can actually replant other spring vegetables in mid to late summer for a bumper crop in the fall before frost. Many have planted tomato shoots throughout the early summer to produce in the fall. Some of the greens need to be started in cooler, shadier locations to get a good start and then when the leaves fall from the deciduous trees they will have full sun as the nights and days get cooler. We are very fortunate here in this northeast part of the state to have cooler nights sooner than elsewhere.
Hannah, my helper, and I will be setting up demonstration beds this fall and winter to show people how inexpensive and easy it is to start small garden beds and will attempt to show how easy it is to keep them going without so much effort. By next year we will have our “school” set up for anyone who wants to come learn! We will set up free classes for our DPC patients. If you want to learn more about DPC some visit our DPC page on this web site. (Direct Primary Care).
