What a lovely Indian Summer we’ve had! The early rain was a problem for tomatoes and grapes, but it turned the fields and hills green already and the warm afternoons ripened a bumper crop of peppers in many of our gardens and farms. With frost predicted this weekend, I’ll soon be harvesting the last peppers to roast or sauté and freeze, and the last basil for pesto. Since my garden is too tiny for cover crops, I will be putting down a nice mulch of old goat shed bedding where the summer crops were and over my little garlic patch, which I planted 2 days ago. I like to put down a mulch right away after planting garlic to prevent weeds from getting started. The garlic will poke right through it and will appreciate the slow break down of nutrients through winter. If you don’t have access to livestock bedding, another great mulch for garlic or onions, (and many other plants), is alfalfa hay.  It does not have weed seeds and provides some nitrogen as it breaks down. If you get a whole bale, break up the flakes, then pack down around 4 inches thick over the garlic bed or around other crops. Sometime before the heavy rains of winter come, it’s good to put an organic mulch around fruit trees and many types of perennial shrubs. When mulching trees or most shrubs, make sure the mulch is not around the base of the plant but that it extends beyond the drip line (edge of the canopy).  

It is so important to protect the soil over winter by covering it with either growing crops or a layer of organic material. This is true with all soil types, but especially so with clay soil. Every year I learn more lessons from the gardens I’m lucky enough to work with, from conversations with other gardeners and from deepening my observations. Although I’ve been defending clay soil for years, this year I’ve been really impressed with the production from really sticky, hard clay. While some people who brought in light compost and planting mix a few years ago so they would not need to deal with their native soil, are having poor results. In so many ways these days, we need to turn from buying what we need to creating it. Clay soil can be a good metaphor for life – it is challenging, but if nurtured with respect and awareness, it will get easier each year and can be very rewarding. Now is the perfect time to loosen compaction in a small garden by rocking a strong digging fork back and forth as deep as you can.  Add any minerals that might be needed like gypsum or oyster shell, and plant cover crops or mulch. With a series of cold fronts on the way, soil temperatures will start to drop fast, so if you are going to plant cover crop, do so very soon.

It’s also a great time to build a big compost pile with all the debris from the summer garden, fallen leaves, and whatever else you have to compost. Remember to add enough water as you build the layers. Check out the Master Gardener compost guide, Hints for Composting, for reminders on getting the best results from this magical process.

You may find space for a last little patch of arugula or bok choy, but soon it’s time to take a break and reflect on what your garden has provided, with gratitude.

Wendy