This week at Little Bit Farm, I am planting a late fall garden. I have a pig pen, and we have gotten rid of the pigs. I figure the ground is fertile, and and there are no weeds. So I am going to plant a bunch of fall vegetables in there and hope for the best. I am direct seeding everything. This is southwest of the barn, and gets afternoon sun from about noon on. So I am planting: Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Onions, Garlic, Carrots(and a selection of other roots), Radishes, Lettuce, Spinach, Chard, Mustard, Turnips, Mustard Spinach, Corn Salad, Chinese cabbage, Holland Tyfon Greens, Kale, Dandelions, Beets, Brussels Sprouts, Peas, Garland Chrysanthemums(Shungiku), a selection of winter hardy flowers, Broad Beans, and anything else I can find. I am putting them in late, and hoping for another month of no frost so they can get some growth before cold weather! Many of them I will cover during winter with sheets! I should get a crop.
About half of fall and winter gardening is learning what is hardy. Many vegetables are much hardier than what an Oklahoma winter can throw at it, and with a little planning, others can be protected so that there are veggies available most if not all of winter. The key for fall gardening is to use early maturing vegetables that get their growth fast. Mature plants are hardier than baby plants.
Spring and fall, are my main salad seasons. These days, people's view of salad is so limited. Salad can be made up of many vegetables. Even grated root vegetables can be a salad. There are so many possibilities, and those possibilities are so healthy for you! I make salad out of things people don't even think of in our bagged salad world. Makes me hungry just thinking about it!
I have also been doing other gardening things. I planted a faith garden out at our 30 acres the other day. I have a bed out there with a wire cover. I planted plants out there, Broccoli, Chinese Cabbage, 45 day cabbage, and Buttercrunch lettuce. Those I will visit every couple of weeks, and harvest from them. The last time I planted out there, I harvested garbage bags full of lettuce for the house. In about two or three weeks I should have my first salad from those lettuce plants. I also have another bed here, which I seeded a few weeks ago.
Another thing that I did a few days ago, is I planted an herb container for inside the house when it gets frosty. In it, are Basil, Peppermint, Lemon thyme, Cilantro, Lavender, and a beautiful petunia(just for looks)! Those will be brought in to harvest and flavor my food all winter. Anyway, writing about all this is making me hungry, so I am going to go eat!
