All posts by Jordan Charbonneau

Garden Advice

Caring for Winter Greens

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January in the garden can be a slow month depending on your gardening zone. This time of year, unless your gardening in the far south, greens, garlic, and perennials are probably the only things you’ve got in the garden. While soon it will be time to start planting seeds for spring right now you can focus on keeping any hardy plants you’ve got alive and well.

Fall planted hardy greens can provide a bounty over the winter months. However because of limited daylight and cold temperatures caring for them will be a little different than caring for your garden during the summer.

Water

For the most part, you won’t need to water during the winter months. Even if your plants are under cover where they don’t get any precipitation they’re unlikely to need watering because they aren’t growing quickly.

However, during periods of active growth like the fall and spring you may still need to water them even if the temperatures are relatively cool. As it gets closer to spring be sure to monitor their needs.

Protection

For most areas, if you still have greens growing in January you probably have grown them in a protected environment whether it’s a cold frame or greenhouse. As temperatures continue to reach winter lows you may still need to offer them further protection to keep your garden growing strong.

For cold hardy greens like kale, lettuce, arugula, collards, spinach, and cress a simple layer of frost cloth can keep them growing strong even in an unheated greenhouse when temperatures dip into the low teens and even single digits.

Frost cloth can be placed on hoops or laid directly but gently onto your greens. Remember to remove the cloth as the temperature warms up in the day though! If you have to thin cloth like burlap or an old sheet will also work. Just make sure it’s not so heavy that it will crush your plants.

Harvesting

You can harvest your greens the way you normally would during the spring or summer months. Do note that because of the shorter days and colder temperatures greens will take much longer to come back after harvest but this doesn’t mean they’ve died or something is wrong. Once things warm up and the days get longer in the spring they’ll speed up quickly.

Venting

Don’t forget that sunny days can quickly heat up a cold frame or even greenhouse. Thermometers that come with an outdoor sensor and indoor display can help you monitor the temperature of your garden space without having to go out and check. Venting your structure when it heats up is very important to prevent scorching your plants.

Additional Resources

If you’d like more tips for winter growing, check out some of our other posts below.

Fresh Greens to Harvest from Fall through Winter

Easy Season Extension For Fall

Easy, Affordable Hoop House Options

Fresh Food in Winter

Tips for Growing Awesome Fall Greens

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Garden Advice

4 Pesky Weeds & Control Tips

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In January, when we’re in the midst of planning our gardens, skimming through seed catalogs, and just starting to poke the first of our seeds into trays it can be easy to forget about the hardships of gardening. This time of year it’s easy to picture a perfectly maintained garden but the reality is the weather we wait for and cherish to make our crops grow is the same weather that brings the jungle of weeds. Here’s a bit of information on five of these pesky weeds and some tips for managing them in your garden. 

Ground Ivy

Also known as creeping Charlie, ground ivy is a perennial that has sprawling vines with tiny purple flowers and clusters of heart-shaped, scalloped leaves. Each cluster of leaves also has a node which develops roots making it even harder to get rid of. 

Though it’s now, mostly looked upon solely as a nuisance, ground ivy can be used in beer making, herbal medicine, or in the place of rennet in cheesemaking. As ground ivy is full of vitamin C it was once used to treat scurvy and can now be made into a tincture or tea to help ease colds. In beer making it was traditionally used in the place of hops to add a bitter flavor to beer and help preserve it. 

While every situation is different ground ivy can be indicative of having heavy, wet soils. It generally loves moisture. Continuing to add organic matter to your soil each year and avoiding compaction can help reduce the spread of ground ivy. 

Crab Grass

Crabgrass gets its name from its growth habit. Many believe its low, spreading form resembles an actual crab. It’s a tough annual that will tolerate a lot of foot traffic and can go to seed even when it’s cut short. 

One of the best things you can do to rid your garden of crabgrass is just staying on top of it. As an annual, you can prevent crabgrass from coming back next year by not allowing it to go to seed. Using no-till practices can also help you avoid bring old seed to the surface while turning over your soil.

Chickweed

Another low-growing annual, chickweed has oval opposite leaves and small white flowers with 5 lobed petals. It does better in cool moist weather so it’s typically an issue in the spring and early summer.

It has been used medicinally to treat a variety of ailments. It is believed to have anti-inflammatory properties and is sometimes crushed and used to soothe irritated skin. Used internally it’s believed to help with cramps, arthritis, and digestive issues.

Chickweed is nutrient dense and great for people and livestock. It’s high in iron as well as vitamins A, C, and D. Adding it to your salads and feeding it to your chickens might help you keep this weed in check. 

Bermuda Grass

Bermuda grass is a super tough perennial grass that spreads quickly and forms a dense mat making it popular for lawns, pastures, and sports fields and dreaded by gardeners. It spreads by seeds, runners, and rhizomes and its roots can grow up to 6ft deep. 

It’s sometimes called, devil’s grass and rightfully so. It can be one of the hardest weeds to combat and it will likely take a long term approach to eradicate from your garden. First, avoid tilling your soil. This brings seed to the surface and breaking up pieces of Bermuda grass will result in each piece sprouting. Use a thick and continuous layer or mulch and be vigilant around plants. 

Management Techniques

Mulch

One of the best weed management techniques is also one of the easiest, mulch! Laying down layers of cardboard or newspaper and covering them with leaves, straw, grass clippings, or wood chips can smother all kinds of weeds. Many people use plastic but with its economic and environmental costs, it probably isn’t worth it for the small gardener.

Use No-till Agriculture

As mentioned previously using no-till agriculture can also help prevent weeds and improve the soil.

Plant Cover Crops

Planting a fast-growing cover crop like buckwheat can sometimes out-compete weeds and break the cycle helping you get on top of things.

Flame Weed

Flame weeding can be a great option to ensure beds are as weed free as possible before direct seeding small crops like carrots and lettuce. Unfortunately, you do have to purchase a flame weeding tool as well as propane which isn’t ideal from an environmental perspective.

Weed Efficiently

Invest in quality tools. It’s so much easier to keep up with weeds using a wheel hoe or even a stirrup hoe than it is by hand.

Invest in a Soil Test

Especially, if you have an abundance of one type of weed it’s probably time to get a soil test. Sometimes weeds are nature’s way of telling you your soil has a nutrient or pH issue. Learn more about soil tests here.

What are your problem weeds? Have you found a good, organic solution to weed management? 

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Garden Advice

All About Okra: Cultivating, Cooking, and History

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Like many long cultivated plants, okra’s origins cannot be pinpointed but many historians believe it was first cultivated in Ethiopia. Records of its cultivation in ancient Egypt date to over 3000 years ago!  In the following centuries was spread throughout Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Okra was first brought to the Carribean and Southern United States by the slave trade sometime in the 1600s.

It’s a member of the mallow family, related to plans like hibiscus, cotton, and hollyhock. Though it does well in hot climates and will tolerate drought, okra performs best in rich, moist soil.

A resurgence of interest in local food and regional recipes has led to a renewed interest in okra. It certainly is a plant worthy of the attention.

Why Plant Okra?

  • The flowers are simply gorgeous.
  • Okra can easily be preserved for winter by making pickled okra.
  • The leaves are also edible and are often likened to beet or dandelion greens.
  • Okra seeds can be pressed and make a wonderful oil for cooking.
  • The seeds can also be roasted and ground and used as a caffeine free, coffee substitute. In the U.S. this practice was used in the south during the Civil War.
  • The plant’s stem is fibrous and can be used to make cordage or paper.
  • Okra has a rich history and important culture.
  • The pods make an excellent thickener for soups and stews, like gumbo.
  • The dried pods can be used in flower arrangements.
  • Okra can be used to make a hedge.

Growing Okra

If you’re considering growing okra do realize that it isn’t a small plant. Okra can grow up to 6 feet tall and should be grown 18 inches apart in rows 5-6 feet apart.

If you live in colder climate okra should be started indoors 2-3 weeks before your last frost date. Okra prefers rich soil but soil that’s too high in nitrogen can lead to a lot of leaf growth and little pod development.

Pods often need to be harvested frequently when they’re about 2-4 inches long before they grow too large. The pods can be picked by hand or you can use a small set of pruning shears.

For best results check out our Okra Growing Guide. You can find all of our okra varieties here.

Recipes to Try

From the greens to the seeds, pickled to fried there are a number of ways to enjoy okra. Here are a few recipes to get you started.

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