A series of articles presented by Candy Horton, an OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteer
This last week, I spent a bit of time in the garden, checking the plants in the cold frame and the radishes and measuring out the next phase of this project. I have been able to harvest radishes through December 17th. Because the temperatures have been as mild as they have been, the radishes are still growing but are now taking longer to get to the size for harvesting. I was concerned about the seeds that I had planted around December 1st. However, they are growing very slowly, and I’m hopeful they will grow to full maturity for harvesting. I may need to add a second layer of the frost covering with the temperatures getting colder.
Dr. Timothy McDermott of The Ohio State Extension in Franklin County says that for ordinary winter harvesting, I need to have my seeds planted by the end of September to harvest during this time frame. I will implement that next year; my goal is to see how far into the winter I can go with planting seeds to have crops to harvest. I also want to see what the seeds will do if anything when the days start getting longer, and the soil starts warming up. That way, I will know what I can plant in the fall for early spring harvests, what will work, and how late I can plant seeds. If I don’t try, how do I know?
I have also started planning the next phase of my garden. The first section is 16′ wide by about 30′ long, and the only thing left to do in that space is to finish putting down mulch and adding pots for flowers and maybe some dwarf blueberry bushes. I will be working on the middle or central section of the Potager Garden next. In a historical Potager Garden, the garden would be divided into four equal sections, with a single path running horizontally and one running vertically through the garden’s center. In the middle of the garden, where both paths meet, there would be a water feature; looking from above, the paths would make a cross with the water feature in the center of the cross. This design represented many religious beliefs and ideologies. This would also have a seating area for guests to enjoy the water feature, nature, and the garden’s quiet. In my garden, I will be placing another cold frame along the back of the garden. Two insect hotels will be on either side of the cold frame to invite good insects into the garden. I will build an in-ground worm farm, a stock tank pond, and two types of seating to invite people into the garden. The space will be smaller than the two outer sections because I want to have as much growing space as possible and a place to sit, rest, and enjoy the garden.
The first thing to be done in the center section is to lay down broken-down cardboard boxes and add mulch. This will kill off any weeds and will decompose back into the soil. I put newspaper and mulch in the pathways in the first section, which is lovely. It holds more moisture in the soil. It doesn’t get muddy during the rain, allowing me to work in the beds and cold frames whenever possible. The second things I will be adding in as soon as possible are the insect hotels. I want them in place to be available for the new season insects as spring arrives. I have lots of materials in the yard that I am gathering for them; it’s now a matter of putting them together. The next project will be the worm farm. This is another form of composting that will add beneficial elements to the soil. I have read many articles about having a worm farm in my garage and have hesitated a lot. I recently found some articles about worm farms that are kept in the ground that allow the worms not only to compost most of your food waste but also to move out into your soil and add benefits to it directly. The most significant element of this section will be the stock tank pond and seating area. But until then, I wish you all a Happy New Year and best wishes for you and your families.