Organic Gardening Tip of the Week

Garlic plants can withstand cold weather as long as they are not exposed to a sudden drop of freezing temperatures. To help protect garlic from sudden drops in temperatures, apply a thick layer of mulch such as straw mulch (seed-free); a minimum of 4 inches is recommended, and thicker in regions with harsh winters (up to 8 inches). In the spring the mulch can be pulled back to allow the soil to warm up faster and also helps avoid excess moisture, which can cause rot. Another benefit to mulching is weed control. Garlic does not like to compete with weeds and it will suffer if weeds are not removed. You should not be applying any nitrogen fertilizers over the winter as that will lead to an increase in top growth. After weeding and mulching, now you just have to wait until the spring. Once spring arrives and the soil starts to warm and snows melt, pull back the mulch and feed with an all purpose fertilizer, bone meal or another mix that is high in phosphorus.

For more information on caring for your garlic over the spring, click here.

We have many other tips for winter gardening as well in our Resource Center.

In addition to good orchard sanitation (picking up rotten fruit and raking leaves), applying dormant sprays in the fall and winter is a great way to reduce overwintering pests & diseases in the home orchard. Dormant oils are applied when trees have dropped their leaves and are dormant. The oils can be applied when daytime temperatures are over 35-40°F. Dormant oils control aphids, scale, spider mites and many other insects by smothering eggs and larvae.

Peach leaf curl, also known as curly leaf, curly blight or leaf blister, has been recognized as a common disease since the early 1800s. It is caused by the fungus Taphrina deformans and can affect the blossoms, fruit, leaves and shoots of peaches and nectarines. Peach leaf curl is the most common disease found in backyard orchards and can weaken the tree over time if the disease is not controlled. Cool (48-68°F) wet weather when leaves are first opening favors the disease. Watch our video on Peach Leaf Curl where Tricia shows how to care for your trees.

To control diseases such as peach leaf curl, a fungicide is applied multiple times throughout the dormant season. An easy way to remember when to apply the fungicide is after leaf drop, New Years day (or around that time) and a final treatment on Valentine’s Day (before buds have broken or blossoming). For more information you can also read our blog Peach Leaf Curl Control.

Perennial vegetables need help to survive cold winters

Perennial vegetables like asparagus or rhubarb need protection over the winter to help survive freezing temperatures. Asparagus is hardy down to zone 4 and needs a little care in the fall. When the ferns start to turn yellow to brown, or after the first frost, cut them back to about 2 inch stubs. This will help cut down on disease setting in over the winter. Apply about 2–3” of compost around the remaining plants and cover with a mulch such as rice straw to a depth of about 4–6”.

Rhubarb is a tough plant and only needs to be cut to the ground and covered with a 4–6” layer of compost.

Jerusalem artichokes can be if left in the ground until you are ready to eat them. However, if your ground freezes, you should dig up the remaining tubers and store in moist sand or soil in the garage or a shed (that stays above freezing but below 40°F).

To care for artichokes, check out our related article on Caring for Artichokes for more detail.

Low tunnels are a great way to extend your growing season into the winter. These may not be appropriate for heavy snow regions since the structure may not be able to support the snow load, but for areas that do not get a lot of snow, low tunnels are a quick and easy way to grow into the winter. Low tunnels can be built from a various range of materials, but using PVC pipe and rebar covered with greenhouse plastic or heavy weight rowcovers is the choice we feature in our video. Keep in mind if you use greenhouse plastic, you may have moisture build up inside and the sides will need to be lifted or rolled up during sunny days in the winter. Watch our video on building a low tunnel or read our article on building a low tunnel for extending your growing season.

Fall-planted flower bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, hyacinth, or crocus are wonderful additions to the landscape, but if you live in warmer winter climates (as in USDA zones 8 and above), these bulbs will need to be pre-chilled or vernalized before planting to successfully bloom. If you are in zones 4-7, your bulbs will receive enough natural chilling over the winter to bloom successfully and will only need to be dug up and divided every 3-4 years. Read the full article here.

Winter squash such as Acorn, Butternut, Spaghetti, Hubbard, or Delicata are varieties of squash that grow all summer, are harvested in the fall and stored for use over the winter. Harvest the squash when the vines have withered and the rind is tough enough that you cannot pierce it with your fingernail. Do not remove the stem, it helps prevent rotting over the winter. If you want to trim it, leave at least one inch of the stem. Remove the dirt or mud from the rind and cure the squash (except for Acorns) at around 80-85°F for about a week. This helps to harden up the skins and allows any cuts or scratches to heal over. Store in a single layer (if possible) in a location with good air flow. The best temperature for optimum storage is between 50-55°F. A garage or root cellar works well for a storage area. The rinds should be tough to protect the fruit from mold, bacteria or insects. Storage time will depend on the variety and conditions, but as a rule Acorn and Spaghetti squash will keep 2.5 months, Butternut 3-4 months and Hubbard up to 6 months. Remove any fruit that seems soft or looks like it is starting to turn. Enjoy all winter long the tasty squash in soups, pies, or baked.

The air has a fall chill to it and the leaves are starting to turn, but there is still plenty to do in your garden and yard. Harvesting the last summer veggies and flowers, planting flower bulbs for a spring bloom and putting in your garlic and onions are just a few things that can be done in October. Here are just a few ideas to add to your "To-Do" List. Tricia talks about some things she is doing in her fall garden in our video, October Gardening Checklist.

Things to Plant in the Fall – Spring flowering bulbs like daffodils and tulips, garlic, shallots, native plants, cover crop, wildflowers, annual flowers like mums or pansies, cool weather seeds like lettuce, kale, beets, greens and more! Read the full article, 20 Great Gardening Tips for Your October Garden for more information.

The summer blooming “bulb” is a term used for plants that develop from structures that are not true bulbs but rather tubers, corms, rhizomes or tuberous roots. The difference is that true bulbs planted in the fall (tulips for example) actually require cold temperatures to develop properly. Summer planted “bulbs” are tender and cannot over-winter in the ground where harsh winters (where the ground freezes) are a norm. If you have flowering summer plants in your landscape and live in an area with very cold winters, continue reading. Some beautiful summer flowers/plants like dahlia, gladiolus, tuberous begonia, canna, calla lily, and Elephant Ear are actually either subtropical or tropical plants. Their bulbs, corms, rhizomes or tubers will not survive if your ground freezes and they should be lifted before that happens. These can be dug up after the plant is killed by frost or after the foliage has dried up. After curing or a drying out period, place in sphagnum peat or vermiculite and store in a cool (45–50°F), dry location over the winter. If you have problems with rodents, protect your “bulbs” by storing in a rodent proof container. Monitor over the winter and remove any rotting pieces. You could also transfer to soil in a pot and move into a greenhouse or shed, but do not allow soil to freeze. Read more about lifting tender “bulbs” in our article.