Buttoning up your garden

It's cold enough to snow and that means it cold enough to clear out that garden and prepare for next year's season. Yes, you need to begin now to ensure you have a jump on your garden in spring.

HERE is a handy checklist for you to download as we move from growing to resting season.

In addition to cleaning out your garden, prepping your soil and covering it up, it's time to plant garlic.

Yep, traditionally, I plant my garlic around October 15. I'm waiting for the weather to shape up. The excessive rain we have experienced has set our plans to get a second high tunnel and new garden ready for spring beeee hind. I will be planting as much garlic as I can in a 4x20-foot raised bed. First I clean out all the old plants and weeds, then I use the best of the best garlic I grew this year to plant rows and rows of cloves. I'll water them in, unless Mother Nature does it for me and cover with a nice bed of grass or straw to protect the ground and the bulbs until spring.

Then, when the nudge comes in the spring. You know, the nudge that says, "it's time to uncover your plants, flowers and such," you comb away the covering and wait for rain. 

A good sprinkling of blood meal will give your garlic an extra boost of energy when beginning to grow. Keep that bed weed-free because garlic does not like to be crowded out by strangers.

Got questions. Listen to my weekly episode of Main Street Eats on Prairie Public Radio each Thursday on Main Street. Past episodes can be downloaded from PPRadio by following the link on my home page. Until next time....