The Time is Now
Despite the cold snap we experienced this weekend, it won’t officially be winter until December 21st. That winter solstice will be the shortest day of the year, and until then, we have two months to design, install and plant kitchen gardens before our dark winter days really settle in. For those of you who think you missed the boat this year on your garden and think you’ll have to wait ‘til spring to get going again, I’m here to tell you that the time is now.
As someone who installed her very own garden and who is installing a few kitchen gardens right now, I wanted to give you some reasons to get that kitchen garden in this season instead of in the spring. You’ve all heard me talk about how important drainage is in the garden and how the fall and winter precipitation helps with that, but there are some more fun reasons to get you garden installed in the last few months of the year.
Fern pup wants you to know how fun it is to create a garden in the fall!
Reason #1: Get a Headstart
You might be thinking that planting a garden now will feel like it’s too late, but in reality, you’re getting a headstart on the 2021 garden season. We all want it to be 2021 right now, don’t we? Installing a kitchen garden in the last few months of the year will allow you to grow cold-hardy plants like kale, spinach and other greens under covers, as well as overwinter the first harbingers of spring like peas and salad greens.
Growing under row covers, poly tunnels, hoop houses and cold frames can be where I lose some people, but it’s super simple to create a cover for your garden beds. If you have existing beds, I’d be happy to show you some options, and if you’re planning to put in a garden next year but want to start now, we can add on some covers so that you don’t have to wait to get growing.
Overwintering is also one of my favorite parts of the winter season. I plant peas, salad greens, kale, chard and other cold hardy plants before the new year so that when the soil begins to warm and the days get incrementally longer, the seeds wake up and start growing before anything else is even available to plant. Honestly, our spring is so short in Boise that the peas I planted in November were more productive x 10 than the peas I planted in March.
April 2020: Overwintered Peas on the Left, tiny spring planted peas on the right!
Reason #2: Beat the Rush
The early bird gets the worm is such a true thing in gardening. I’ve already spoken to landscapers who are booking jobs for spring right now. Especially in the Boise area, our building boom has made time for landscapers scarce, so if you’re not a DIY person or you have a larger garden project in mind, now is the time to get those designed, quoted and scheduled. Because I grow everything in raised beds, most of the work I do can be completed anytime we have a good stretch of weather, as it’s all above ground. Plus, waiting until spring not only means you’re waiting on landscaping schedules (hello sprinkler setups!) but also on supplies. Getting everything ordered now ensures less of a wait on all fronts.
Reason #3: All you have to do is plant
This has to be my favorite reasons to install a garden in the fall. When spring weather hits and all you want to do is be outside hiking, biking and enjoying the sun, the last thing you want to be doing is shoveling soil and gravel. All you’ll have to do is plant! That’s always the fastest step in any garden install and my personal favorite. Plus, having a garden already installed ensures you’ll get on my plant order list for spring, so all you have to do is tell me what you like to grow and eat, and I’ll do the rest. Doesn’t that sound dreamy?
For those of you who think you’ve missed the boat on a garden this year, let me tell you that there are two perfect times to start a garden. The first is yesterday, and the second is today. I’d love to help you make your garden goals come true. Click the link below to schedule a service or shoot me an email with any questions.