November 2023
We had our first snow at the end of October which caused the tree leaves to turn brown and fall to the ground. Now we hear the rustle of leaves as we walk through the fields, a sound always associated with fall. The snow didn’t last long, but it killed many of our summer crops, as we knew it would. It is almost easier to pull out the peppers, tomatoes, basil, squash, etc. when you know their time is done. For me it is also a time to get the jungle of summer crops removed and the farm organized for our much smaller winter production and set the stage for early spring production.
We planted our garlic last week and we will be doing an experiment to see if it grows better in the hoop house versus in the raised beds in the kitchen garden. We are growing 3 different types of garlic – Elephant, Music and German Stiffneck. Planting garlic is my promise that spring and summer will be here before I know it. In colder climates, the garlic needs to be planted in the fall so the roots can form all winter. Then when the weather warms up and the days get longer the green shoots can pop through the ground. The three varieties we are growing are all hardneck varieties, so we will have garlic scapes (the flower tops) in June that are delicious and the bulbs will be fully formed by the end of July. The smaller bulbs we save to eat, while we break out the larger bulbs, into individual cloves, and plant them as our seed garlic for next season. It is so rewarding to know we are growing our garlic each season and not having to buy new seed garlic each year.
Next on our agenda is frost protection for our winter crops that are outside and those that are in the hoop house. More on that in our December newsletter.