Fall Gardening: Nature's Lessons

It is almost time for fall gardening, in fact, we should already have a plan in mind as fall gardens are not as long term as spring gardens. If we wish to have a garden that produces during the fall, it is important that we keep in mind that time is of the essence

Anahi Vasquez and Denton Langridge plant vegetable seeds in the greenhouse, which students will transplant in the garden this fall.

(as in almost everything in life!) The take home is ‘shorten the time that our vegetable plants have in the garden’ before they begin to produce.

WHAT, you say!

Well I imagined that you were ahead of me already but just to say it out loud ‘we need to take advantage of a controlled environment’ such as in a greenhouse to start our plants when garden conditions are inhospitable for early growth of young plants that are fragile plants. If for example we wish to have some tomatoes at the end of the fall, we must start them early enough such that the ‘growing season’ in the garden is shortened while the ‘producing season’ is optimized. Later on when we move them to the garden they are already nearing maturity. Within a week or so they will have buds and maybe even little tomatoes.

This planning is the art of fall gardening! Planning ahead, being ready, managing those things that are ours to control.  This is the work that a number of ex-OFE volunteers are trying to bring attention to with those that attend the Jessie Jones garden club (JJGC). The JJGC has offered instructed gardening to young home schooled students and their families for a number of years usually from September through to December and then February to May of the next year. Many of the students find gardening so much fun that we see them for a number of years. These folks are ravenous for experiencing what adults feel enthusiastic about. They are eager to learn about composting, mulching, growing a healthy garden that gives them a sense of accomplishment. What we hope to instill is that any kind of gardening can be fun and intellectually stimulating if you invest yourself in it. Let’s make gardening fun not a chore. By the way, we are always looking

The Garden team spent some hot summer days clearing the weeds and then enriching the soil with compost and covering with thick bed of straw mulch.

How we make this happen is to support gardening as fun. If adults support this approach then our young will too. Really paying attention is so vital to our understanding of and to having a garden that is in fact FUN! It is tantamount to a science kit complete with experiments. Sometimes the results are not what’s expected and this challenge is exciting and leads to trying other leads.  In the end, success is arrived at by developing an understanding of what matters. And that success, keeps you involved, wanting to know more.

It has been my experience that what has come before gives us much of the information necessary to develop what matters, we just need to pay attention, yes, really pay attention. Here is a clip on youtube that promotes gardening with minimal work, minimal to no weeds, and strong healthy plants, which in the case of vegetable gardens builds

The garden is part of the replica 1830's homestead at Jesse Jones park, so all structures and fences are constructed out of materials found in the natural environment

strong minds. While this video is based on Amish practices it is also supported by a number of well-known universities as you will see if you view this piece (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z6ECNl9v8Q). There are also a number of No-Till garden practices that supplant some of the practices of the Amish practices such as using mulch rather than rye to prevent weed growth. Depending on what best fits your situation you can mix and match to help to accomplish your Fun Garden Adventure.