Autumn in my garden is when trees give their ticker tape welcome to winter. - Densey Clyne We are entering that beautiful time of year where we have an abundance of gorgeous colors on the trees. That in combination with the brisk, cool air, makes November my favorite time of year. Soon all those lovely leaves will end up on our lawns. Leaves are a rich source of the minerals (calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium) that trees pull from deep underground. Did you know that pound for pound, leaves contain twice the mineral content of manure? The huge amount of organic matter they offer can be used to improve the soil. It can lighten heavy clay soils, which we have in Dallas, and increase the moisture retention of dry sandy soils. Today, we will cover some of the options available for using leaves to improve your soil. Do not pass up this opportunity for a free soil amendment! Option 1: COMPOST LEAVES If you are not already composting, now is a good time to start! Rake or blow your leaves into loose piles. If you want to speed up decomposition, mow over the leaves a few times with your lawn mower. Mix a shovelful of soil in each layer of leaves to introduce helpful microorganisms to the pile. Leaves are high in carbon but low in nitrogen, so it helps to add a source of nitrogen like grass clippings to help feed the bacteria that will breaking down the leaves. Dead plants from the garden that were not diseased or infested with insects can be added to the pile along with kitchen scraps. If you are interested in learning more about composting, sign up for a consultation. Option 2: MAKE MULCH Shredded leaves also make a good mulch. Blow them into your flower beds and under trees and shrubs while mowing. We cover our vegetable garden with a layer of chopped leaves to keep the soil from washing away over the winter. The best time to mulch perennials is after the first hard freeze, so put aside another pile of shredded leaves to use later in the winter. Option 3: TAKE THE EASY WAY OUT AND STILL IMPROVE THE SOIL! Don’t want to rake or blow your leaves at all? Mowing leaves and leaving them on your lawn improves the soil, lessening the need for fertilizer in the spring. Set your mower blade 3 inches high and mow once a week while the leaves are falling. As long as you don’t have excessive leaf cover, do not be concerned. Mowed leaves feed worms, fungi, and soil bacteria. It's a win-win!
Also, check out our Products page to buy seeds in preparation for the spring. Peppers especially grow well indoors in containers throughout the winter. They can be then be transplanted to your garden in spring to give your garden a great head start.
Happy holidays!
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Don't think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It's quiet, but the roots are down there riotous. - Rumi I hope everyone is keeping warm through this first freeze. It may seem implausible, but having a thriving herb and vegetable crop this time of year is easier than you think. Don't give up hope! This is a great oldie but goodie article from D Magazine about what is best to grow in the winter in the DFW area: https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-home/2014/november-december/winter-gardening-herbs-and-vegetables/ "As we head into the winter season, many people assume it’s time to pack up their garden tools and retire to a few months of armchair gardening. But the winter season can be one of the most productive for Dallas vegetable gardens, particularly if you love greens and bitter herbs. Come November, you will see a marked decrease in the variety of seasonal annuals and edibles available. Keep an eye out, however, for some of the tough herbs and greens that thrive in winter. Cool-season greens and herbs—such as dill, parsley, kale, and spinach—can still be dropped in the ground or into containers this month. In fact, there’s no sense trying to grow them once we hit late spring, as they simply can’t tolerate the heat. Dill and fennel aren’t just flavorful plants, they’re beautiful plants. I often plant these carrot relatives as ornamentals in my front yard, as the feathery foliage is a perfect complement for winter annuals like pansies and violas. In spring, these favored host plants will reward you with swallowtail butterflies. Simply snip the tiny leaves fresh all winter, or dry and store for later use. The bright emerald-green foliage of curly parsley is a welcome sight in the winter garden. Parsley is very frost tolerant and gorgeous when paired with violas, poppies, and primrose. When many plants begin to go dormant, parsley perks up. Use as an accent in containers or in mixed landscape borders. Kale provides a variety of eye-catching foliage colors. The blue-tinted foliage of dinosaur kale is particularly unique. Like parsley, it makes a welcome winter companion to seasonal color. A cold-hardy green, its flavor doesn’t actually develop until after the leaves have experienced their first frost. Spinach plants easily tolerate our winter frosts, and young seedlings can even survive down to about 15 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Seeds can be sown directly into the garden all winter long and will even germinate at temperatures as low as 32 degrees, albeit very slowly. Spinach germinates well at soil temperatures right around 50 degrees. Savoy spinach has dark curly leaves and is typically the type found in bunches at the grocery store. Flat or smooth-leaf spinach has larger, smooth leaves, and semi-Savoy, a hybrid between the two, has a similar crinkled texture to Savoy but is a bit easier to clean. A sunny spot for your herbs and greens is best. Amend your beds and containers with compost before planting new crops. All of these greens will appreciate consistent moisture but also benefit from good drainage. You can dress herbs and greens with a vegetable fertilizer after they germinate or are planted, but you’ll find that most winter greens are very low maintenance. If you’re worried about young plants in a hard frost, use floating row cover or frost cloth for temporary protection." For the holidays, check out unique gifts for the gardener in your life on our Products page:
https://www.pottingwithpotter.com/store/c5/Products.html Peppers are believed to have originated in South America, and they spread to Central America between 5200 and 3400 BC. They moved north and to Europe through the conquistadors. One of the reasons why the pepper came to Europe so quickly is because it was a good replacement for black pepper, which was very expensive at that time and even used in some places as currency. Hot spices were very valued because they were used to make bland diets more bearable. Aren't you glad we live in modern times? Today, we will cover how to grow peppers indoors throughout the winter. Peppers are a perennial plant, and therefore can last several years. I once had a red bell pepper plant that lived for 3 years. I will focus primarily on bell peppers, but the techniques can be applied to all types of pepper plants. For those of you that already have pepper plants in the garden, moving them indoors is a no-brainer. Or if you'd like to get a jump start on your spring garden, you can follow the below tips and start them from seed.
Check out our Products page to buy seeds in preparation for the winter. Peppers grow great indoors in containers throughout the winter! They can be then be transplanted to your garden in spring to give your garden a head start.
And if you are preparing for the holiday gift-giving season, our gift certificates are a fantastic, unique gift for a loved one. Happy planting! |
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