There are quite a few crops for winter harvest that can be sown from now through mid-August (see below)—but where to fit them into your bursting garden? The main thing I am doing this week is ‘editing’: pruning back plants that have overrun their space, removing what I don’t like, don’t need, have too much of, as well as the odd plant that is growing poorly. Don’t feel you have to keep something just because you planted it. If the flavour is disappointing or nobody in the family eats it, go ahead and take it out. I hate to do it, because it is vigorous and pretty, but my huge yellow ‘Sunbeam’ zucchini has gotta go—the fruit doesn’t compare in quality to ‘Romanesco’ or the dark green zucchinis I am growing and I need the space. You might have too much lettuce or it is starting to bolt, pea vines that are petering out or have pea enation virus (unfortunately quite widespread this summer; for a photo of infected peas, see online. ). If plants aren’t contributing to the productivit…

Time to start winter crop planting now and over the next few month: This week is good timing to sow seeds of Brussel sprouts and the varieties of winter cabbage that take over 120 days to mature (e.g., January King, Danish Ballhead, Langedijker Late Red). These need the whole summer and fall to make big, heavy heads for winter. Many main season cabbages take almost as long so check package descriptions to plan your sowing dates. The last week of May to first week of June is good timing to sow Brussels sprouts, but don’t leave it any later. This timing has sprouts developing in September and October, largely avoiding cabbage aphid damage to the sprouts as the aphids die off in the fall. Later sown plants risk not making sprouts at all because they are too late. If they don’t make sprouts this fall, they won’t do it in the spring because they send up flower shoots from where the sprouts would have been. If you seeded Br. sprouts earlier or set out plants from a nursery, just keep…

The days are getting longer and brighter! I can already feel it (despite the snow covering everything at my house this morning)....which brings thoughts of gardening, seed orders, and new plans for the best garden yet. If you want to start sweet potatoes (AKA "yams") from a tuber, now is the time to get started. Get small or medium-sized tubers of any kind you like to eat from the grocery store or use one of your own tubers if you grew a crop last summer. One root usually produces 5-10 (or even more) slips. Because, sometimes grocery store tubers won't grow, I suggest starting 2 tubers from 2 different sources to make sure you get one that sprouts. I used to recommend only buying organic tubers--until I had a bag of those that wouldn't grow at all (?). Unlike Irish potatoes, which only sprout from eyes, sweet potatoes can produce roots and shoots from anywhere on the tuber. Prop a tuber upright in a jar and fill with water, half-way up the tuber. Or lay a tuber on its side i…