Review your notes from this season and start planning next year’s garden. Think about which crops did well and which didn’t so you can decide if different varieties are needed next time. Think about the amount of each crop and whether it was enough or too much. Take stock of lessons learned before ordering seeds for next year.
Remember to gather leaves for mulching, composting, or digging into the soil before they blow away or snow covers them up.
Feed your winter flowers when the weather is mild.
Cover strawberries with a thick cover of straw mulch—they’ll fare better over winter and bear earlier next spring. Remove just after the last frost next season.
If you add a second layer of row cover protection for leafy vegetables like spinach, lettuce, and collards they’ll continue producing longer. Remove the covers during the day and replace around sunset.
Add a half to full month in growing season by filling a few plastic jugs with water and placing them between still-growing rows; they collect heat during the day and radiate it back at night.
If you have a coldframe, continue planting chives, spinach, mustard, peas, beets, lettuce, and radishes.
Clean up garden debris to eliminate overwintering areas for diseases and insect pests.
On warm days, start getting beds ready for spring by adding lots of compost. Six inches isn’t too much as it will settle and be incorporated into the soil by earthworms and other soil organisms.
Try growing salad greens or herbs in pots inside – a south-facing window helps but isn’t essential. If you are a beginner at growing inside, start with sprouts and enjoy crisp greens in a week.
Browse our website, make a Wishlist and order early to avoid disappointment, paying special attention to cool-season, early planting vegetables like lettuce, cabbage, spinach, and peas.
Spend some time reading a new gardening book or research an aspect of gardening you’ve wanted to learn more about.
Now is the perfect time to plan and design any garden upgrades you want to do next season.
Remember gardening is for everyone when making out your holiday gift list!
Zones 9 – 10
Review your notes from this season and start planning next year’s garden. Think about which crops did well and which didn’t so you can decide if different varieties are needed next time. Think about the amount of each crop and whether it was enough or too much. Take stock of lessons learned before ordering seeds for next year.