What's happenin' in the early November edible garden

Lavender in late fall

Sunday, November 12, 2023

Well, we an early freeze then rec warmth and now back to normal fall weather here in the Midwest.  With the lows last week in the lower 20's. all the unprotected summer veggies got killed.  Does that mean the end of the kitchen garden?  Nope.  There is still much in the garden to enjoy!

The cold season crops have survived the first lower 20's of the year.  Kale, lettuce, onions, mustards, chard, carrots, garlic and many herbs are nice and green.  All cold season crops get sweeter when the mercury dips.  Cold season crops for your edible garden

It is time, if you haven’t done so already, to pull up the old vines and give them to the compost heap.  Only compost those that were free from disease; you don’t want to re-introduce any diseases to your garden next season.  I leave seed heads for the birds to snack on for the winter and will clear them out in the spring.  

If you are gardening in pots, move them up against a wall that gets southern exposure.  This will move your effective climate zone up a full zone.  If they are on stands or coaster, remove from their stand and set them onto the ground.  They will stay much warmer on the ground than suspended off the ground.  Putting the pots into the mulch will help keep them warmer still.  

Now is a fun time of year to experiment in the kitchen with all the fresh herbs that are available.  Parsley, thyme, rosemary, sage, tarragon, bay, lavender, chives, oregano, and dill are all hardy herbs in November.  I have had many Christmas dinners with herbs fresh from the garden.

You can also bring tender perennials like rosemary and bay into the garage or house for the winter.  Other veggies I bring in are my pepper plants, celery, eggplants, citrus trees and tropicals.  I keep them in our unheated, insulated garage or heated basement with a 4' grow lights over them.  

This year, I moved the pepper plants, eggplants and tropicals into my new walk in, portable greenhouse.  I chose clear plastic to maximize the sunlight that gets through since I will primarily be using it during the cold seasons.  I will leave the peppers and eggplants in there for the winter.  When it starts getting down into the teens, I'll move the tropicals to the basement.  Plants just don't do as well under artificial light as they do outside.

Walk in, portable greenhouse

You can also take a look at all the tomatoes you have put up in freezer bags.  If you have more than you know you need, this is the perfect time of year to do some water bath canning.  I go through and any left over from last year, I make into sauce.  Time to make homemade tomato sauce! 

As even more freezing weather comes our way, you can extend the season for lettuce and greens through the winter by using a portable green house or making your own hoop house.  I'll put my potted lettuce, chard, arugula, celery, kale and mustard under my portable greenhouses to keep salads going the entire winter.  Extend the season with protection for plants

The biggest killer of veggies in greenhouses?  Getting too hot!  Make sure you crack open your green house when the temps get above freezing and the sun is shining.