Extending the Season The Vegetable Garden in Carteret County, What Now? As fall turns to winter, some plants may benefit from protection. Fabric or plastic that lets light through but holds warmth in may be an answer. 1
Winter in the Vegetable Garden When we met at the end of the summer, we discussed all aspects of the fall garden: how to prepare the soil, which plants to choose, the importance of water and fertilizer. By now you should each have a pot, or a bed, or a garden plot with seedlings and/or transplants of vegetables such as lettuce, turnips, broccoli, kale, arugula, and chard in various stages of development. But now it is getting cold, and you are worried about those plants. This is a quick summary of what you do, and don't, need to worry about. Two kinds of lettuce, arugula, spinach, and mustard greens in a November garden in Carteret County. The Tough Plants Many of the plants you have in your garden will do just fine through most, if not all of our coastal winter, without any additional protection. Now, you could still speed their growth, getting them bigger and stronger and closer to harvest earlier, by keeping them warmer, but the cold won't kill them. This group includes 2
collards, cabbage, kale, arugula, broccoli, turnips, mustard and similar plants. If you have limited time or resources to cover plants for cold protection, don't feel bad about leaving this group without a blanket. They may get burnt leaf tips, or have droopy leaves for a bit, but they usually will recover on their own. Some lettuces will even survive and bounce back from a hard freeze, but don't count on this! In this photo you see frozen arugula leaves with the edges covered by a heavy frost. These plants continued to produce. Cover these plants on cold nights if you want enhanced fall growth, not because you are afraid a little frost or freeze may kill them. The Tender Plants Any plants that you are trying to carry over from late summer, such as beans or basil or peppers, plus some of our fall lettuces, won't be able to tolerate a frost or freeze. Our average first frost date is November 19, with frosts most years beginning anywhere from November 6 to December 2. There is no way to know exactly when we will have our first 2011 frost, so watch the weather. If you have tender plants you want to protect, have materials on hand before the frost is forecast. You can make wire row or bed covers that can be used in the summer to keep out deer, and then can be covered in plastic in the early winter to trap sun and soil warmth. See the cover photo in this document for an example of a wire row cover. If you are using plastic, be sure you leave the ends of this type of cover, really a mini greenhouse, open during the day so you don't overheat and cook your plants in the sunshine! Another option is to purchase the lightweight material known as a floating row cover. You can place this over your frames, or just let it "float" on top of the plants themselves. Be sure to secure the sides 3
and ends, as this material will readily blow right off the garden. Floating row covers may not provide as much heat retention as the plastic, but are designed specifically for this purpose and will let through plenty of light and air. Choose a row cover fabric that lets through at least 75% of the natural sunlight. Less Typical Fall Crops Maybe you already have these. If not, start thinking now about whether you have a place in your garden for the more unusual food plants for fall harvest. How about colorful, sweet, mild Oriental persimmons, hardy kiwi, that grow in bunches and are eaten skin and all, or sweet scented, holiday like tangerines and orangequats if you have a very warm protected spot. Each is being grown successfully in Carteret County right now. Pests There are still plenty of garden pests trying to get to your plants before you can. Watch for the adults of both the cabbage looper and the imported cabbage moth. Their young are the green worms you find along the ribs of many fall plants, such as broccoli, cabbage, kale, and collards. They can devastate young plants, and leave plenty of holes in the leaves of older plants. Control them by hand picking them off the plants, by using floating row 4
covers to prevent egg laying on your plants, or with BT, the caterpillar stomach poison that does not harm other insects. You may also find aphid infestations. Remember that these insects usually are controlled by natural predators, so don't worry if you only see a few. Larger infestations can be controlled with insecticidal soap. Avoid using broad spectrum insecticides to cover plants with aphids, as they also kill your beneficial insects. The aphids spring back quickly fro such treatments, but the beneficial, predator bugs take a long time to come back to useful levels. You may actually cause an explosion of aphids in this way! Finally, watch for the unexpected pest. I couldn't figure out where my lettuce seedlings were going, until one day a few weeks ago when I saw one of the dogs reach over into the bed and munch one down to the ground. Who would have guessed that? Enjoy your late fall and winter garden. Our next class, for the early spring garden, is scheduled for January 25, 2012. You will get more details and a reminder in the new year. North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University commit themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status or disability. In addition, the two Universities welcome all persons without regard to sexual orientation. 5