Garden in January
This winter is going quite warm.We had just one night of frost so far. The frequent southwest winds, called Lodos in Turkish, are warming up the weather. On the other hand we had very little rain, but it was enough for winter vegetables to get established.
At the end of November I sowed lots of fava beans and garlic to the empty beds.
A Polyculture Example
Fava beans interplanted with collard greens and nasturtiums. Since we didn’t have any hard frosts yet, self seeded nasturtiums grow happily in the bed.They are a great groundcover and pest deterrent. I also scattered some arugula seeds on the empty spots.
Dead nettle pops up everywhere in our garden.It’s edible,medicinal and bees love their flower.I manage it a little so they don’t take over beds.
Garlic
A great winter crop. In winter they develop strong root system and give out some shoots. When spring comes they will start to form bulbs.
Just sow them around end of November and forget about them until spring!
In our climate fava beans are the same.They’re planted at the same time as garlic and harvested in mid-May.
Cauliflower
I sowed them last spring and they’re just fruiting! It might have been a better idea to sow them at the end of summer.
Volunteer Potatoes
Potatoes that I forgot to harvest last summer, started to sprout in fall. I let them grow, hoping that a frost won’t kill them as last year. I mulched them with pine needles and dry leaves.They look happy so far. Some of them even started to grow baby potatoes!
Borage
Borage grows better in fall in our climate. When planted in spring it falls prey to snails and slugs. Even if it survives,it quickly bolts and dies.
Planted in fall, it looks much more healthy.Just like most fall sown plants, it’s establishing its roots and stays dormant, while it will flower in spring.
Elderberry Cuttings
In fall, I pruned our elderberry bush and saved lots of cuttings from it. Then I just pushed them into the soil all over the garden. Now (after 2 months) they’re sprouting! But the fact that they’re sprouting doesn’t always mean that they grow roots. Since I had some in the pots and they’re all rooted I can be sure that these ones are rooted too! It’s such an easy plant to propagate.
Aside from elderberry, I took cuttings from mulberry, gooseberry and goji berry. They all easily root.
You May Also Like
Polyculture Gardening-Part I
Tree Guild and Wildflowers
