-Pam Scott- As the days become shorter, we start to see signs that the outdoor growing season is coming to an end. Summer annuals and perennials set seeds for the birds and other wildlife to eat. The trees shed their leaves. As gardeners, many of us still have the urge to nurture color, scent, and life into the slowly greying pallet of the shortening winter days. In this week’s blog, I’m going to talk about how you can do just that by forcing spring-blooming bulbs for a succession of fabulous … [Read more...] about Forcing Bulbs For Winter Blooms
fall
What are Cover Crops? And Why Use Them?
-Patrick Metz- As summer starts to wind down and fall approaches, it is time to start thinking about the post-harvest environment of your garden. Best practice shows us that, dollar for dollar, planting a cover crop is the best thing you can do for your garden. Here are some of the benefits: prevents erosion, improves soil health, adds organic matter, attracts pollinators, promotes and feeds your soil biology, increases tilth, and suppresses weeds. What does this mean for you? Your garden … [Read more...] about What are Cover Crops? And Why Use Them?
Never Too Late To Garden!
-Chris Amaya- Missed your opportunity for a bountiful summer harvest? Well don’t beet yourself up, because that’s exactly what we plan to do for you, with this Fall Planting Guide. Generally, I save most of my root crops (such as beets) as well as the entire short-season brassica family of vegetables for fall planting, as cooler days and nights pave the way for dense cabbage heads and perfect broccoli formation. Not to mention the fact that avoiding the summer heat and major pests like … [Read more...] about Never Too Late To Garden!
August in the Garden: Preserving the Abundance of Summer
-Pam Scott- August at our house has always been a time of frenzied pickling, jelly making, drying, canning, freezing and fermenting. Braids of garlic and onions hang from every doorframe. Pillowcases full of dripping grapes are suspended from the dining room chandelier, soon to be made into jelly. There are jars of vegetables in various stages of fermentation. Now, thanks to Fifth Season’s new Ball jar fermenting lids we have lots of small jars of fermenting pepper experiments. One of … [Read more...] about August in the Garden: Preserving the Abundance of Summer
Festive Fall Homebrewing (Without Pumpkin!)
-Kristin Weeks- When it comes to seasonal beers, there’s no time quite like fall. The light, easy-drinking beers typically associated with warm weather, sunshine, and yardwork give way to heavier-bodied, maltier, and more complex styles that pair perfectly with cool nights and campfires. Historically, beer has always been seasonal. Before the days of refrigeration, the brewing season lasted from the onset of fall through early spring (March), where lower temperatures kept beer fermenting with … [Read more...] about Festive Fall Homebrewing (Without Pumpkin!)
How to Preserve a Plethora of Shallots
-Pam Scott- We are in full fall mode here at Fifth Season Gardening. We just received the mother lode of garlic, onions and shallots for fall planting. While unpacking these little gems I am reminded of the few pounds of shallots left in my fridge from the summer harvest. Since nothing in my house or garden gets done with any sense of moderation, each year I plant pounds of shallots and end up harvesting pounds and pounds and pounds of shallots. Shallots are one of the more heavenly … [Read more...] about How to Preserve a Plethora of Shallots
Growing Bountiful Brassicas
-Pam Scott- The shorter, cooler days of September are upon us. You may have thought all of your gardening fun was over for the year, but.... not so fast! You could have two more months of outdoor dirt digging delight ahead of you. Our average fall frost date here in zone 7 is October 31. With the use of frost covers, hoop houses or cold frames we can extend our growing season for cool weather loving crops well into the colder months. For some crops such as spinach, kale, cilantro and parsley … [Read more...] about Growing Bountiful Brassicas
The Flavor of Fall Kombucha
-Gabrial House- With fall right around the corner, I like to think about all the amazing flavors it will be bringing with it. I think of fresh apples, brown sugar, pumpkin pie, and savory herbs. The best way to get the most of these wonderful flavors is to incorporate them into your day-to-day life by making some fall flavored kombucha. Not only will this be a refreshing flavorful trip down memory lane, but it will be packed full of probiotics keeping you feeling great! We will go over … [Read more...] about The Flavor of Fall Kombucha
It’s time to improve your soil’s health
Fall is a great time to think about improving your soil’s health. We have all kinds of great resources at our finger tips this time of the year including leaf mulch, moisture, aged compost (hopefully you’ve been working on this), and cover crops. This is the time of year when your trees and perennial shrubs put their energy into their root systems. They have just spent the last growing season using up many of the nutrients in the soil they are growing in. In the natural world, say an … [Read more...] about It’s time to improve your soil’s health
