-Pam Scott- It's hard to believe that we are working our way swiftly through fall, yet the nights are getting cooler, the days are noticeably shorter, and the sun is much lower in the southern sky than it was a few weeks ago. After a rocking growing season this year, we are beginning to close down the flower garden for the season, bringing some plants indoors to winter over and letting the rest of the garden go to seed for food and shelter for birds and insects. This is the beginning of a … [Read more...] about Propagating Garden Annuals for Some Winter Gardening Fun
fall gardening
What are Cover Crops? And Why Use Them?
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 will see increased … [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
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
Smarten Up Your Fall Garden
-Jenn Hawthorne- When you think of fall gardening, you think of changing seasons, cooler temperatures, rain, and even snow on occasion. If you are considering a fall garden, maybe you have thought about where you might want to put it. One option for at least some of your fall planting could be growing vegetables in Smart Pots. I, personally, believe that Smart Pots are the best thing that has happened to the container garden industry since the trowel!!! Smart Pots invented the first … [Read more...] about Smarten Up Your Fall Garden
Tips for a fall garden
As you’re reading this, it’s probably about the middle to last week in July. This is the time when you should be starting round two of gardening, the fall garden. Fall gardening is generally not as popular as Spring gardening, but fall is, in my opinion, a better time to grow. The advantages of a fall crop include: The cool weather of fall makes for some mighty good tasting vegetables. You don’t have the bugs or the plant disease problems that you have in the spring. It’s easier, … [Read more...] about Tips for a fall garden
