September Wind Down

I started this post in September but got completely distracted from writing my blog. Not sure why it happened but it did. In reading this post it reminds us of how fast the weather changes and how quick the growing season really is in Wisconsin.

Remember, I wrote this in September ...

The summer has really gone by fast and we over the past couple of weeks we have entered a new phase for gardening. The days MAY warm up but the nights are cool which makes it hard to grow anything.

My Brussels Sprouts are doing well and forming little heads on them. The great thing about this vegetable is that you can grow it so long into the fall. The cold nights and a little bit of frost make them even better.

Brussels Sprouts and Carrots

I don't have enough carrots to harvest and store into the winter so I have been slowly harvesting my carrots as I need them. My goal is to keep then covered when the weather turns really cold so the ground around them doesn't start freezing. Last year I was able to have carrots at Thanksgiving with this approach.

Carrots ready for cleaning and eating

The potatoes grown in the Smart Bags have been a huge success. We just walk out the back door and dig in the bags with our hands to harvest a few potatoes. The chipmunks also really like this so I have been covering the tops of the bags with anything that will keep the soil moist but stop the chipmunks from digging in there.

My green peppers have stopped growing but I have a couple still on the plants. I have left them on there and have been harvesting as needed.

The lettuce that I planted a month ago has been harvested over the last week. It is so great to have a fresh salad from the garden. I'm hoping that the weather will cooperate and allow the lettuce to regrow so I get another cutting. This week I will be setting up my cold frame in the garden. I will prepare the soil with a good load of compost and then plant lettuce and spinach. I have no intention of harvesting this crop this year but will let it grow into winter and then regrow again in the spring. This worked perfectly last winter so I'm hoping this works again. The heavy snow load over the cold frame was a great insulator from the cold air. I'm not sure what would have happened if we just had cold temperatures with no snow.

Look close for the lettuce that will grow over the winter

Remember, even though your garden or containers might be done for the year you can still get fresh veggies by visiting anyone of the local farmer's markets. This is such a great way to continue to eat fresh veggies and support your local farmers.