Friday, October 14, 2011

Fall Garden

I hope you are sitting down, but this is the second post in a week! Can you believe it?

My fall garden is actually good enough to post pictures of. My summer garden was best forgotten. Right now, I just have row cover ready for frosty nights. I want to build a hoop house that I saw in the latest issue of Mother Earth News magazine. I may have to modify it some, because the pvc needed to make it is kinda pricey. Their method has the plants covered by row cover and then a hoophouse made of pvc hoops covered in greenhouse plastic. Elliot Coleman claims it's the equivalent of moving your garden 1,000 miles to the south using this method and grows year round in New England.

Now, you can't grow tomatoes or cucumbers in the winter with this method. It works for mainly root vegetables and greens. Here's what I'm growing (and yes, I know I'm behind on weeding...this weekend, I promise)...
Python spinach. I planted another variety and two plants sprouted. This one is growing great!

Radishes and lettuce

Red Beets

Red Swiss Chard

Rocket (arugula) This is my favorite green. It grows like weeds and has a wonderful nutty flavor.


Snow Peas


Super Snappy Peas


Tatsoi. It's an Asian green. This is the first time I've grown it. It has a grassy taste with just a tiny kick. It's still very young so we'll see how it matures.

Mustard Greens. I love these when they're small on sandwiches and in salads. They have a horseradish kick.


Purple top turnip

Purple top rutabaga

Kohlrabi

Leeks

Mixed beets

Green onions. They're not growing great.

Cilantro

Chicory

Short Sweet Carrots


Bright lights chard
I'm probably going to plant a few more things. I'll also reseed some things as I pick them. It's still not too late to get some fall stuff in the ground if you can build a hoophouse. You'd probably even be ok for a month or two with row cover. Hopefully, you'll be seeing pictures of all this bounty on our table at Thanksgiving. 

2 comments:

  1. I read that article! Your fall garden it taking off! I usually have a full fall garden down here but with the drought there was no point in trying..sigh.But,being a gardening addict I planted some veggies in the raised beds by the house that I can water and hopefully not tax the well too much.Looking at your post makes me want to go plant some more!

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  2. WOW! look how great everything looks! and we must be twins - i have that article propped open right now! be sure to take pix of the progress when you build - i'd love to see how it comes together. and who doesnt love something called "super snappy peas!"

    yay!
    ps how did you get the name Tilton Hollow Farm? i love it!
    :-)

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