As the warmer than usual weather continues, I can see I am going to have to dig my carrots a month earlier than usual. Carrots and other root crops still in the ground, despite being well covered with mulch, are beginning to get the message that spring is arriving. Unfortunately the warming soil due to warmer than usual temperatures this month is causing them to resume growth and start to produce new leaves. The plants take food stored in the roots to start growing new roots and develop flower stalks. As the sugars in the roots are used up, the flavour deteriorates and eventually the roots get a bit soft with lots of weird little side roots. To prevent this loss of quality, dig root crops soon, wash them, remove any foliage still attached, and store the roots in the refrigerator in closed bags or containers. They will keep for at least a month, often longer. Start seeds of early plants: This week is good timing to start seeds of vegetables that take the longest to grow to tr…

With the heavy snow gone you might be taking stock of the cold damage to garden vegetables this week. I was afraid to look under the tarps over some of my beds because it went down to -12oC at my house and that’s awfully low for veggies (some of you will have had even lower temperatures). I wasn’t worried about mulched carrots, beets, daikon, etc. as the cold didn’t last long enough to freeze the soil. So far my winter cauliflower and broccoli plants, leeks and Brussels sprouts, only seem to have a bit of leaf damage, but time will tell. Leaf damage doesn’t matter, but damage to stems allows rot to set in and that can be fatal. Before you head out to undertake garden cleanup, remember that no matter how ruined some plants might look, probably more has survived than you think. Even if leaves of Swiss chards, spinach and other hardy greens have been turned to mush by sub-zero cold, do not remove the plants--the roots usually survive to grow new leaves for a spring crop. Leeks …

The first cold weather of the year is forecast to arrive later this week with lows well-below freezing beginning Wednesday night or Thursday. Forecast lows around the south coast range from -4 or -5oC [23-25oF] to what would be extreme cold for this region: -8 to -10oC [14-18oF]—and even colder at higher elevations. Most overwintering vegetables can survive -5oC well enough, but -10oC would severely damage or kill unprotected vegetables out in the garden. If you still have leaves or straw on hand, fluff an extra thick layer of mulch over the tops of carrots and other root crops, pile it over top of cabbages, radicchio and around leeks and other plants. Throw tarps or plastic sheets over chard, spinach, Chinese cabbage, lettuce and other leafy greens. Hold the covers down with rocks, bricks or boards to keep them in place in high wind (Arctic outflow winds can be very strong!). You can support the covers on short stakes or low wire hoops if desired, but keep them low to avoid…

Well, here we are at the winter solstice and the shortest day of the year, the turning point for daylength. It is always so heartening to see the days start to get longer and brighter! In a couple of weeks, sunsets will be noticeably later and our thoughts can turn increasingly to our next garden. Unlike last winter at this time, when we had blizzards and cold, this year’s mild weather has allowed hardier vegetables to keep growing (slowly), so I am still picking sprouting broccoli from summer plants and harvesting celery, lettuce and other greens undaunted by frost; and then there are those Brussels sprouts and a couple of monster cabbages that continue to expand to a daunting size…but enough with the bragging! What I really want to do is wish you all the very best for this holiday season and for the coming year—may your gardens thrive! Weird flowering An effect of the warm weather has been some out-of-sync flowering. A few flowers or even whole branches of apples, berri…

This month’s garden theme is mulch, mulch, mulch…. Fall leaves are the perfect free mulch and with lots of leaves coming down this week, now is the time to collect them. They are ideal for protecting roots of plants in the garden from cold injury. Since we want an insulating effect, the fluffier the mulch, the better, so don’t shred the leaves: even really big maple leaves can be used whole. Right now, start working leaves (or other mulch, such as straw, chopped crop waste) in between plants to cover the soil with a couple of inches of mulch. Don’t cover the foliage though, as hardy vegetables are still growing and need the light. Once in place for a few weeks, wet leaves become matted enough to stay in place during winter winds. If mulching with new straw, which is very light and blows around easily, lay it down just before it rains. To hold fresh leaves or straw in place over a bed you can lay down chickenwire, stucco wire, branches, garden prunings, corn stalks, etc. on top …

Well, that seemed like a rather quick transition from summer to fall last month! Here are a couple of pest and disease issues and planting notes that are top of mind for this month: Insect barriers: A common question is when it is safe to remove insect netting from beds of carrots and cabbage family plants. With the long, warm summer we just had, it is likely that adults from a large third generation of carrot rust fly and cabbage root maggot are still around, laying eggs on warmer evenings--so don’t take a chance on uncovering beds too early. It is best to keep plants covered until end of October or after the first hard frost, whichever comes first. Powdery Mildews: The usual late summer dusting of fine, whitish powdery mildew spores have been appearing on leaves. Different species of PM fungi infect different host plants so just because it show on one kind of plant doesn’t mean it will spread to unrelated plants. The most common PM species infects squash leaves, peas an…

Pinch Brussels sprouts: Right now is good timing to cut or pinch out the tips of the Brussels sprouts plants to force the formation of sprouts lower down, along the stem. If your plants already have nice big sprouts this isn’t necessary, but it is essential if your plants currently have only pea-sized nubs where the sprouts should be. With tip growth stopped, the plants quickly start plumping up their sprouts. Even if your plants are still small because they were planted too late, this is worth trying because it might force a few sprouts to form. As regular readers know, if you don’t have good-sized sprouts on the plant by the end of October, they likely won’t form at all because in the spring these biennial plants bypass making sprouts and go straight to flowering. Check thinning: This applies to any crops sown for winter harvest, but especially to carrots and beets. Leafy greens and lettuce should also be checked for overcrowding. If your summer sown carrots are not baby-c…

With temperatures dropping a bit and the possibility of rain showers early in the week, right now is the perfect time to sow seeds of arugula and other hardy greens such as mizuna, collards, kale, Chinese cabbages/Napa cabbage, leaf mustards, mustard spinach, broccoli raab, winter radishes/daikon. These crops must be sown within the next 10 days to have enough time to produce a crop that can be harvested this winter. Veggie seedlings can be transplanted any time this month. As long-time readers know, August 12 is Spinach Day at my house: the timing that works best in my garden to seed spinach directly in the garden for a fall through spring crop. August-sown spinach plants remain in the garden over the winter and will go on to produce a big crop of new leaves crop in the early spring. There is one last, late August to early September planting window, when corn salad, winter lettuce and arugula can be sown. After that unusually dry May and the dry weather that has featured a …

With garlic, onions, early peas and spring-sown lettuce, greens and radishes, etc. finished, you should now have space to plant more winter crops. My winter broccoli and cauliflower seedlings are about big enough to parachute into the garlic space next week (see below for a list of nurseries that sell winter starts). Now is the perfect time to edit your garden to open up more planting space: pull out anything that is overmature, surplus to requirements, wasn’t as tasty as you hoped, or not performing up to expectations. With 4 kinds of zucchini planted this spring (no one needs that many zucchini!), I have now frozen, pickled and dehydrated enough and am removing some plants to make room for winter crops. From now to early August, you can sow seeds of arugula and other hardy greens such as mizuna, collards, kale, Chinese cabbages/Napa cabbage, leaf mustards, mustard spinach, broccoli raab, winter radishes/daikon. Given how hot and dry it has been, I would wait to sow your fa…

It hardly seems possible, but we are starting into the main planting season for vegetables that will be harvested over next winter. Crops for winter harvests must do their growing in the growing season, which means sowing them early enough that they have time to mature before the shorter, colder days of October put an end to growth. Ideally, in October your living refrigeration (the garden) will be bursting with maturing hardy vegetables—but it all depends on getting those seeds planted at the right time. You can print out a planting chart showing when to plant what veggies. (Stick the list on your fridge to help you remember to keep on planting over the summer). The last two weeks of June is the main planting window for sowing seeds of winter broccoli, winter cauliflower, and cabbage varieties that take less than 80-90 days to mature (check the days-to-harvest information in variety descriptions). Sow them directly in the garden or start them in flats, whichever works for y…

As we move into the El Nino weather pattern this summer, here comes the first heat wave of the season. Over this weekend, forecasts show highs of 26-28oC [about 80oF] on Vancouver Island and coastal areas and up to 34oC [93oF] further inland and up the Fraser Valley. Every time I check the long range forecast, it shows higher temperatures! I have sent out heat alerts so many times in the past that I know most of you know the drill, but there are a lot of new gardeners that might need a warning: These temperature would be too hot for tiny seedlings, newly sown seed beds and plants that have been transplanted recently. No matter how well beds are watered, a bare soil surface can get so hot that seedling roots fry because they are close to the surface. Heat waves this early can also damage the new leaves of perennials and overwintered plants because their leaves have been used to cool, moist conditions and leaf cells have not yet adapted to hot weather. SO, start heat proofing yo…