Autumn Garden Checklist | 2020

After a so-so summer, fall seems to be walloping me. I HATE wearing socks, putting on long sleeves, and even wearing long pants again. Even though I love being a ‘Child of Winter’ (Warren Miller ski film term), I think I may also be a Child of Summer. The fall winds are throwing branches and trees down already, and the tomato crop is furiously producing fruit, almost as if it knows the time is limited.
As the season pushes through the remains of summer, I start to think of the things I need to get ready to do for fall. Everybody’s list is a little different but gardening tasks never really cease. They just change.

One big discussion among gardeners the last couple of years is the necessity or not, of cutting back and cleaning up the garden before winter. There are strong opinions on both options. Every garden is different, so treat your garden individually.

Clean-up

In my garden, I do not cut back perennials until the first frost. Then I know that the plant is dormant and that cutting it back will not spark new growth that could damage the plant when the frost hits.
I do not cut back anything in the garden that has a seed head on it. I love to let the wildlife in my garden forage for seeds during the winter. Great to watch and good for them as well.
I do let the leaves in the beds lay on the ground all winter. It protects the soil and keeps it warm and weed-free. It is important to clean them up early in the spring to destroy overwintering slugs and snail homes. In my climate, that is as early as February. The exception to this is where the big maple grows. It can easily smother the plants with 4-6 inches of leaf matter. Placing these leaves in a pile, in a sheltered location away from strong winds, will create excellent leaf mold by this time next year.
Finish the last bit of weeding and mulching. If the garden is weedy at the onset of winter, the weeds will remain and gather strength through the fall and winter. Just like fall planting, their roots grow well in the fall and winter. Getting your areas weeded through will give you a head start on spring.
Clean tools, add some oil to prevent rust and put away sprinklers and hoses for the winter. I usually note what I need to buy in the spring as far as replacements go. You can do this on a rainy day when you can’t go outside.

Mulching:

Every bed in my garden benefits from new mulch, and I like to mulch with compost in the fall and spring. I use a thin layer in established beds. This year, I have been spreading mulch throughout most of the year because I have so many new beds. When planting a new bed, I spread mulch as the final top dressing. Which will mean I won’t have to use much in the way of fertilizers in the future. Healthy soil is the best way to have an incredible garden. Always be careful not to get mulch on the trunk (or crown) of your plants. This soft, wet material can cause the plant to die from rot.

Seeds

Collecting seeds from plants now is an easy way to have free plants next year. Dry days are necessary to collect seeds, and a dry place to help them completely dry is equally important. I use my greenhouse tables to dry seeds for storage. Seed storing envelopes are available online. Be sure to label each seed packet with type, date, and sun/shade.

Greenhouse:

If you have a greenhouse, it needs to be cleaned out and hosed out. If you have had problems with pests, a good cleaning with an environmentally friendly disinfectant will ensure a successful winter. My greenhouse will overwinter tropicals and other non-hardy plants. Most of the summer, it houses my orchids but remains mostly empty. I clean pots and get rid of dead plants, clean the glass, and check the insulation.

Pruning:

Usually, I wait to prune until the plants lose their leaves and go dormant. You can easily see the structure of trees and shrubs when the leaves are gone. Building a good framework is essential for the overall health of the plant.

Compost

Speaking of compost, now is the time to add to the pile. I actually have two separate piles of compost. One is weeds and invasive plants, which I let grow and remove at the end of the year or whenever it gets large. I don’t attempt to compost weeds because I have horsetail on my property, and I want it gone. My actual compost pile is vegetables, leaves, pruning bits, and some grass. I build layers with cardboard and will use the finished compost in the spring. Many years I add Black plastic over the top to help heat it up and keep it from getting too wet (I live in a damp climate). When I remove it, the compost looks fantastic.

Natural Christmas

I thought you might enjoy what I’ve been up to instead of blogging.   I love blogging but these past couple of weeks the effort required to get my clients set for the holiday season has made it hard to keep up with the blog. Each year I am love bringing the outside...

My Holiday Home

Hello friends, Kristen here!  Last week I had the pleasure of walking around the Plantswoman's house just taking in all of her wonderful decorations.  Here is a little tour of what I found. Over the years Susan has collected a wonderful array of holiday trees.  The...

Gather Fall Bounty Project

Fall is chilling into winter. I went out and gathered some materials last weekend while it was still cold but not raining. My lovely grandchildren will be coming soon and I want to have a fun gardening thing to do with them. Don't worry, I will share our creating when...

Bringing Autumn In

Hurricane lanterns are one of my favorite ways to display what I find outside. Often used for placing candles in and protecting them from wind I use them for many other things. These glass cylinders bring things up to eye level and you see them from all angles. This...

Simple Things: Autumn Decor

Fall decorating can be many things. We see pumpkins, corn stalks, and fall leaves used as decorations. We as gardeners head into harvest season and get the chance to see plants and fruit that we only see once a year. Now is the time to start gathering and foraging....

Enjoy the Season

Enjoy the beautiful season. Collect and gather leaves, nuts, seed heads, and see the fabulous world in your garden go dormant. Take a hike to see massive amounts of leaves in color, and the freshening of the forest as the mushrooms re-emerge, and mosses start to grow again.

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Bainbridge Island, WA

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Streamside Planting

Streamside Planting

Opportunity Knocks

Often a bad situation brings about an opportunity to create something new. In this case, a property line definition blocked off access between two sections of my garden. The wildflower garden and the shade garden have a stream between them with lots of brushy weedy plants that I hadn’t really attended to yet. To take full advantage of this opportunity I created a new path and a bridge made of an old pallet, then brought in all the plants. The boggy ground is perfect for ligularia, primrose, rodgersia, gunnera, Salix, red twig dogwood, and ferns. A couple of trees in the center of it all hold the platform of a treehouse for visiting kids. Taking adversity and turning it around is a principle we should all practice more. 

stream side garden
Jack in the pulpit

plants

stream side garden
ALL
the
Ferns

plants

 

stream side garden
Prim-ula

plants

 

Stream side Garden

Invite kids into the garden with structures

stream side garden

recycled pallets made into the bridge

Stream Side Garden

create a tree platform from recycled decking

Gardening Resolutions 2018

Gardening Resolutions 2018

Gardening resolutions are easy to keep.   They are usually two-fold.    We have a goal in mind that can have another benefit to us by keeping it.    A resolution like planning to spend more time in the garden is good for the garden and the time spent there can add to our sense of peace and help us get a good dose of Vitamin N (Nature).    Working in the garden or planting an edible garden are good for exercise and have good health benefits. Here are my top garden resolutions for 2018.
  1. Spend more time in my Garden. Just to enjoy it. There is always something to be done but just sitting and being are important. Connecting with nature and seeing the cycle of plant life, insects, and birds helps us de-stress and realize our place in life.
  1. Be more aware of the value of beneficial insects in the garden. Use more earth friendly solutions for everyday garden problems.
  1. Leave wild portions of my property for foraging birds, insects, frogs and fish. Clean out invasives carefully and replant with natives. The creek and ponds on my property need the shade and undisturbed edges to create an aquatic habitat.
  1. Use the compost pile more and get it working properly. Sometimes it is just a pile of debris that I clean out and take to recycle. Then I turn around and purchase it as compost. I use compost in all my garden beds and no synthetic fertilizer.
  1. Plant my usable spaces with intention instead of random ‘stick it in’ style. Designers especially have this problem. We just plant a plant to see what it does instead of intentionally adding it as a part of a design.
  1. Share what is growing in my garden with others. Plant starts, seeds, and produce can all benefit others and sometimes start a life long love of gardening.
  1. Read more, study more, and add innovative new garden ideas to my current garden.
  1. Learn more about planting seeds and adding them to the garden instead of buying plant starts. This aspect of gardening can be daunting but so rewarding if you get it right.
  1. Visit more gardens, hike more trails, and observe more. Making time to connect with other gardeners and hikers creates a network that feeds lives.
  1. Be aware of water needs in plants and plan. In 2017 we had the one of the wettest ‘water years’ in history (49.3 inches) but at the same time the driest summer in history with 52 days of no rain. Creating more water retention on my property is a key goal this year.
Everyone has a different way to look at resolutions and have different needs in their garden. Let me know what resolutions (if you call them that) you have for this year.
Dear Lazy Gardener, It’s Okay…

Dear Lazy Gardener, It’s Okay…

Blowing, raining, storm after storm. Finally, the ground is showing signs of recovering from this summer’s drought. The fall leaves have been spectacular this year. Beautiful colors because we had a good rain followed by cold temperatures. The garden beds are a mess at my house and the thought of raking and raking makes me anxious. However, there is a new train of thought about fall clean up that is making its way to main stream. Leaf litter left lying on the ground is actually very useful. I will have to admit that sometimes the last leaf hits the ground before the rake comes out and that can be the end of November for alder leaves. Last year the sodden rainy winter we had the raking had to wait for a few dry days. Pulling off large branches from trees and uncovering plants that were buried was done but general raking, cutting back and tidying were much delayed. Even so, I observed that the beds under the leaf litter were soft, mostly weed free and soil looked amazing. This is evidence of a new school of thought, Garden Messy for Wildlife.  Here are a few ideas for you…
plantswoman design lazy gardener leaf litter
  1. Leave things with seeds (many things in my garden) up and not cut back until the birds and beasties have had their fill. This could mean January in some areas. Grasses, perennials, annuals, and shrubby fruits should all be left to provide winter habitat and food for birds, and other animals.
  2. Leaf litter left undisturbed in many areas creates habitat for nesting mice, butterfly cocoons, caterpillars, ladybugs and many more beneficial insects. Snakes, although really yucky, are very useful in the garden and the leaf litter creates an insulating layer for their little dens. Some bees nest in the ground and the leaves provide cover for them too.
  3. Speaking of insulation. Leaf litter will protect soil from being washed away and will insulate plants that may need protection from an extreme winter weather, including cold winds.
  4. I have a big area of lawn grass that I let go to seed every year. Under the apple trees the grass can grow up to 3 feet high. Just before the weather gets so bad that the grass lays down I cut it down and leave it. The seeds go back into the ground or become food for overwintering birds, mice, voles, and other inhabitants of the grassy field. (yes I’m very careful, mow on highest setting, and go slow to give ample running away room for small animals living there) I mow it again in the spring when the weather becomes about 50 degrees and the first signs of new growth start to appear. This is the ultimate lazy method for sustainable pasture and mulching. With the added advantage of not mowing weekly as the former owner did.
  5. Separating the fallen branches and leaving them on site in a pile will also create habitat for overwintering animals. After the weather warms in the spring (about 50) and the inhabitants have moved on or hatched out you can remove whatever hasn’t composted.
There are three areas that I do clean up right away. The area under the large maple in the front yard has so many leaves that it will actually kill the lawn underneath it. I blow them into a hollow near the stream or mulch them and add them to the compost pile. I also clean up rose leaves and pull plants from the vegetable garden. Rose leaves can keep mold and mildew close to the rose plants which will transfer back on to the new leaves in the spring. The veg garden needs to be cleaned up so pests can’t stay in the beds ready to pounce in the spring. Snails and slugs would hang out in the rotting vegetation if left in the beds. I also continue to use slug control by the kale, broccoli and leafy greens throughout the year. We never get so cold that they die completely. Here is a link to “Garden Messy, Pledge to be a Lazy Gardener” It has a lot of great information about conserving habitat in the garden. You can even pledge to be the Lazy Gardener on the site. So have a seat, look outside and enjoy the lazy days in front of the fire.
Fall Garden List

Fall Garden List

Welcome to those clicking over from our newsletter!  Here are more details on my top 10 ‘to-do’s’ for the Autumn.  If you didn’t get this from our newsletter sign up!  It’s free and we typically send newsletters about once a month. With out further ado here is my list of things to do this month in the garden.
  1. Harvest tomatoes and other vegetables that are warm season plants. As the nights cool the ripening process will slow down and rain will bring on some rot potential in the warm season plants. Broccoli, kale, cauliflower, brussel sprouts all are happy to have the cooler weather and will thrive.
  2. Plant cool season crops, along with leafy salad crops like arugula, spinach, and lettuce. These will germinate in the 60-degree days and you can harvest for a couple of months in my zone 7-8 garden. You can also put in starts of broccoli, kale, cauliflower, and Brussel sprouts (check your local nursery). Also available now are garlic bulbs for next year’s harvest.
  3. Remove any dead plants from the summer and think about replanting now for good root growth in the fall and establishment for next year. Some of the plants that did not make it in my garden were planted in the late spring and early summer. A long dry summer was the culprit in their demise. The plants I planted last fall did well.
  4. Weed any persistent weeds and cover area with mulch. This will keep weeds in check for next year and feed the plants during the winter.
  5. Prune fruit trees as the growth slows. Learn about pruning different kinds of trees so the pruning you do is effective not harmful. See my blog post on pruning espalier trees.
  6. Start dividing plants that have overgrown their spots. Iris, persicaria, sedums, and campanula are some that need to be divided in my garden. I will pot them up and give away or sell. This is a great by product of a successful garden.
  7. Clean out the greenhouse and prepare for winter. If you have a greenhouse this is a good time to get it ready. See my blog post on greenhouse prep. If you don’t have a greenhouse there are several ways to overwinter plants that aren’t hardy. Look for an upcoming post on DIY cold frames and mulch holding beds.
  8. Write it down. Keep good records of what did well in the vegetable garden and what did not. I have a beautiful tomato called indigo rose in the garden. It is pretty but it will not ripen. I have about 200 tomatoes on the plant and have had about 10 ripe ones. They have been a lovely black color since June. Yes, I’ve pruned it many times. Yes, I’ve eaten them and they are really not ripe. I won’t grow it again.
Two good books to help with this are ‘Week by Week Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook by Ron Kujawski and Jennifer Kujawski, and Vegetable Gardener’s Journal from Cool Springs Press. I also record my progress in the main garden in a garden journal. I have several filled journals on the shelf that have a record of gardens from when I first began gardening to the one that is ½ filled now. Sometimes, now, I spend more time on my blog posts than in the journal but the posts do tie to my gardening through the year. Plants I love, weather, plants I killed, where I got them, bulbs and seeds I planted, it all goes in the journal.
  1. Save seeds. I have saved seeds from various plants for years. It is easy to do and provide next years starts for no money and blank seed packets are available online. There is also lots of information about how to save seeds. A good resource is a free handbook on line at http://howtosaveseeds.com/toc-handbook.php. I also like ‘Seedswap’ by Josie Jeffery. It has a section on how to save seeds but also how to connect with seed banks, starting seeds, and growing on. It is just great reading about seeds in general.
10. Turn compost pile if you have one, and remove any weedy debris piles. I like to save a woody debris pile for insects to overwinter. In the Pacific Northwest, your compost pile should be kept in a fairly dry area. If there is a lot of moisture and leafy vegetation it will be a breeding ground for snails and slugs instead of habitat for small animals and insects.
Wispy, Wild, Wonderful Grasses

Wispy, Wild, Wonderful Grasses

Traveling is an amazing way to experience many different ways to plant, plants to use, and new ideas. Reading (for those who can’t travel) is another way to be inspired. I love to read books about gardening but I also love to read magazines. One of the best magazines to be inspired by is Garden Design Magazine.   Aside from a total lack of advertising, which is amazing in itself, the pictures and articles take you to a place you can’t go except on a very expensive vacation. The Autumn 2015 Garden Design Magazine took me to a place (on paper) that was truly inspiring. The wiles and ways of grasses can be very alluring and Le Jardin Plume, Feather Garden, in Auzouville-sur-Ry France is an amazing showcase of these lovely plants.
This is a fascinating garden. Grasses are used throughout the entire garden in modern meadow plantings and inspired the name ‘the Feather Garden’. I am particularly inspired by the beautiful boxwood hedge that is shaped as a wave. The hard edges and great curves in the hedge are accented by the planting behind it.   Calamagrostis grass with asters, thalictrum, veronicastrum, and sanguisorba in crimson and white are planted in small groups behind the hedge.  The grasses are cut down during the winter keeping the clean lines of structure in the boxwood uncluttered.   As the season progresses the grasses and blooms create an unstructured, tall, transparent wave of its own, a feathery mix that echoes the motion of the wave.
While I don’t have the scope and space that Le Jardin Plume has I think I can use the same principles to create something similar in my own garden.  Just behind the Koi pond there is a path that moves through two different areas of the garden. This is a perfect place to plant the boxwood hedge. The straight lines of the stone covered edge on the pond will echo the boxwood hedge and as it grows taller will be visible behind the pond from across the lawn.
I’ve used Stipa gigantea (one of my FAVORITE) grasses as the base with white agapanthus, Amsonia ‘Blue Ice’, and salvia behind that. I am being a little more structured in the planting scheme than the random planting at The Feathers but I think it looks unstructured from a distance. The tall inflorescence of the stipa look so fabulous during the spring, summer and fall.  The evergreen leaves of the grass have a blue cast that will look amazing in the bright light of the water’s edge. I’m thinking I might add some fall asters to the mix. The Amsonia goes an amazing wheat color as it fades so will blend with the grasses as they go soft caramel.  (amsonia ‘Blue Ice’ is available from Burpee).
This beach garden has a beautiful planting of blue agapanthus with Stipa gigantea.  Back lit it is stunning. Already this year the boxwood in the back has grown about 12-15 inches. The ground cover on the path is black pebbles, fine granite gravel, and thymus minus on the edges. Here is the planting of the soon wave hedge! What inspires you?    Garden visits and travel (Blodel Reserve, see my Traveling Plantswoman posts), Lectures (Anna Pavord at Meany Hall in Seattle), specialty nursery sales (Plant Fest from the Hardy Plant Society in Portland), or visits to local gardeners to visit them and talk about plants (Windcliff Open days).
Garden Progress

Garden Progress

It is almost the end of the 3rd year of Gardening at Beach Road house.   It is amazing to look back on the last three years and see how the garden is developing.   I do much of the work myself so, even though I know a guy, I don’t have the luxury of paid help except for the occasional clean up and mulching or special project.

plantswoman design before/after of Beach Road Garden koi pond

The view from the side of the house towards the water is now without a large cedar tree in the middle of the lawn.  It is also home to the big pond where my koi are happy swimming in 4500 gallons of water.   This year so far it is algae free because of the two large UV light filters I installed in the winter.   The upgrade in the wattage should keep the volume clean even in the warmer weather.   The pond sits in full sun so the struggle to keep the water algae free is real.   A new screening fence also will help to hide the filter and the plumbing.   Planted on the new fence is Star Showers Virginia Creeper, Lonicera japonica ‘Mint Crisp’, Clematis macropetala ‘Lagoon’, and Trachelospermum jasminoides ‘Star of Toscane’.    These should create an evergreen, fragrant, and varied screen of planted loveliness.

plantswoman design before/after of Beach Road Garden waterfront

A place to sit near the water was installed with help from my crew this wet spring.  The stone warms up nicely and keeps you warm while sitting by the water.  Gone is the impenetrable screen of thorny bushes.

plantswoman design before/after of Beach Road Garden front walk
plantswoman design before/after of Beach Road Garden walk ways
plantswoman design before/after of Beach Road Garden walk ways

Large overgrown shrubs were removed from the walkway and a more tropical feel added to reflect the location of the house near a beach and the white stucco and tile roof that feels like California. I might think about a lovely honey color on the stucco to help it integrate into the surroundings more. The walk alongside the house has soft planters and good foliage to soften the stark corridor of stucco.

plantswoman design before/after of Beach Road Garden vegetble garden
plantswoman design before/after of Beach Road Garden back garden

Looking into the back of the property the vegetable garden is beautiful in it’s space. The small greenhouse and garden shed help to support growing seeds and overwintering plants that are not hardy here. The Vegetable garden has fruit trees on the northeast side that will not block the sun. Espalier cherry trees and pear trees create fences along with fruit.   Black landscape fabric creates a warm spot for pumpkins to ripen.

plantswoman design before/after of Beach Road Garden front drive

The front entry has been cleared back a little with dead alder trees and blackberry bushes removed.  A rusty dented fence is  gone and two palm trees and large metal containers create an entry of sorts.   Still to come are trees along the edges to create a softer entry.

Two gardens on either side of Blue Heron Pond are now where the 12 foot banks of Blackberry and ivy used to be.   The left side with the blue bottle tree is the shade garden (trees planted to create this shady spot).  The Right side (south side) is a new bed that is yellow and red.  Touches of white and orange make it a pretty hot color spot.   I love the color punch that makes it visible from the driveway.

I’ve got more things planned for this year including a new tropical garden off the back of the Koi Pond with lush large leaved tropical plants creating a very different space.  The side of the Koi pond will be an English garden complete with topiary trees and shaped hedges. The front entry will have more work along with some bamboo planted between the neighbor and I for screening from their garden shed. Berry vines will also be planted with the fruit trees.

I’ve been thinking hard about a name for the property.   Traditionally in Scotland and many other areas the houses have names.   This house is not a traditional style for the northwest so it’s name would not be about the house itself.   I’m leaning towards ‘Rest and be Thankful’, the name of a pass in Scotland that when you reached the top of the hill you did just that. I’ve called it some harsh names while working on it,  Thorny corner, Windy Bay, and Bird Poop Land were a few.   I does, however, deserve a name worthy of the peaceful, green, windy, sunny space!

I’ll keep thinking!  In the meantime take a look as some additional photos of the Beach Road Gardens below.

Two gardens on either side of Blue Heron Pond are now where the 12 foot banks of Blackberry and ivy used to be.   The left side with the blue bottle tree is the shade garden (trees planted to create this shady spot).  The Right side (south side) is a new bed that is yellow and red.  Touches of white and orange make it a pretty hot color spot.   I love the color punch that makes it visible from the driveway.

I’ve got more things planned for this year including a new tropical garden off the back of the Koi Pond with lush large leaved tropical plants creating a very different space.  The side of the Koi pond will be an English garden complete with topiary trees and shaped hedges. The front entry will have more work along with some bamboo planted between the neighbor and I for screening from their garden shed. Berry vines will also be planted with the fruit trees.

I’ve been thinking hard about a name for the property.   Traditionally in Scotland and many other areas the houses have names.   This house is not a traditional style for the northwest so it’s name would not be about the house itself.   I’m leaning towards ‘Rest and be Thankful’, the name of a pass in Scotland that when you reached the top of the hill you did just that. I’ve called it some harsh names while working on it,  Thorny corner, Windy Bay, and Bird Poop Land were a few.   I does, however, deserve a name worthy of the peaceful, green, windy, sunny space!

I’ll keep thinking!

 

Sunny Day

Sunny Day

Today we are supposed to have sun.  The sky is getting lighter and I saw the moon last night.   This may seem silly to many of my readers out there that see the sun and the moon numerous occasions throughout the winter, but here in the Pacific Northwest it has been a long, cold, wet, gray winter.   One thing that doesn’t change is spring.   It may be later this year.  Plants may have a harder time recovering from the brutal winter but nevertheless it comes.

In a garden one of the things that keeps you hoping is the first green shoots, buds then finally blooms.    Today I want to celebrate what is blooming in my garden this week.  Like the promise of a rainbow, God’s promise to never flood the earth again, the blooms of spring help us to believe that winter can’t last forever.

Under Cover Winter Veg

Under Cover Winter Veg

Picking out a clear plastic container out of my fridge that, having gone unnoticed, now contained liquefied salad greens I swore it could not continue… The beds have been cleaned out and waiting for this horrible winter to conclude but still it remains in the 30’s with snow gusting on the wind.  Like the plants that don’t read their tags the weather doesn’t read the forecast.  It is March.   Usually if it hasn’t snowed by Valentine’s Day we can count on having no snow at all. Valentine’s Day has come and gone and still we have cold yucky weather.  I checked back in my garden journal and many times I have started early spring crops in the first week of March. This year, however, I will need to try and outsmart the frigid, lingering winter. I know many of you, living in colder areas of the country, have no sympathy for me. With regular precision, your weather is cold into the end of March and sometimes into April.

So, I broke out my handy dandy tool for creating hoop houses out of electrical conduit and started to work. I purchased it from www.buildmyowngreenhouse.com and it works great for creating hoop houses and netting/bird covers.  Using my macho looking tool attached to the work bench (inside because it is cold outside) I bend 1/2-inch conduit into three arches for the planting beds.

winter veg plantswoman design

I planted 2 kinds of spinach, Olympia and ­­­­­­­­­­Bloomsdale Savoy. 1 row of Lacinato ‘Dinosaur’ – Heirloom Kale. Two types of Lettuce, New Red Fire Loose-leaf and Baby Mesclun, cut and come again, and two rows of Arugula ‘ True Italian’

winter veg plantswoman design

I placed one layer of 16 mil plastic over the whole bit and anchored the edges securely with boards and rebar. This should hold it in the wind better than garden staples which can pull out. These new hoop houses can protect the new plants from frost and keep the ground warmer by 10 – 15 degrees on a cloudy day.

I did read about an interesting method for discouraging slugs in an organic garden. They cultivate the ground for two weeks to break up eggs from slugs and snails before planting salad crops. Slug eggs take 4 weeks to hatch out and the salad leaves are usually ready to cut by then.

I will keep you posted on how the salad experiment works out! Let me know if anyone out there is already eating non liquefied salad greens.