Planting for a Four Season Harvest, Part 10
Crops
Withstand Light Frosts
Many crops are not affected
by light frosts. Someone once remarked in mid-October how full my
garden still was of green, growing things although all annual flowers
were blackened. Beet and carrot tops, also parsley, were more
luxuriant than in summer, while lettuce, Chinese cabbage and fennel
were thriving in the cool weather. Broccoli started the March
before
in the house, and set out in April had doubled in diameter since it
first matured back in July, and was sprouting all over with side
shoots.
If they're mulched --- I
use the autumn crop of leaves in the row and about individual plants
--- these vegetables aren't even affected by the 20-degree hard
frosts. Lettuce succumbs first, although single plants can be
shielded
under glass jugs through November. If you have one, the cold
frame is
the ideal place for late fall lettuce. Brussels sprouts is the
hardiest of the cabbage family, while kale, chard, turnip and beet tops
die when the temperatures reach the teens. Turnip roots and beets
live
on longer, but not through winter here.
Parsley may last in a
sheltered spot, but it can't be harvested until early spring.
Place a
shingle under leaves so they won't stick to the frozen ground and
possibly rot.
To be continued....
Tirrell, R. 1966, February. Planting for a 4-Season
Harvest. Organic Gardening and
Farming.
Reprinted by permission of Organic Gardening magazine. Copyright
Rodale, Inc., U.S.A. All rights reserved.
www.organicgardening.com.
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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.
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