Weeding between the lines

By Jim McGinty

 

End of the 2019 gardening season, and many seasoned gardeners are sighing in relief:  we experienced another “challenging” year with unreliable weather forecasts, on again and off again Summer heat, and then unbelievable September rains.

On the other hand, we also saw spectacular fruit tree harvests, especially apples and plums, and the berry crops were amazing, so maybe on balance, not too bad a year.

Here at Rancho McGinty, my gardening partner and longtime wife Pat, and I learned some new gardening tips and techniques:  shade cloth over new transplants is a great idea – we improvised with shear curtains from the thrift stores, and we saw much better recovery and long term growth from baby veggies; growing onions through black plastic film produces really large and juicy bulbs – I used my plumber’s propane torch to burn three inch diameter holes through salvaged four mil black polyfilm as a low-cost alternative to purchased commercial strips.  I was so happy with this year’s harvest results, that I just bought a commercial roll of twenty-four inch wide by twenty-five foot black plastic film, complete with four inch holes already in place; using empty and upended recycled small plastic water bottles over the ends of upright rebar (used to hold fabrics up and over delicate or frost-sensitive plants) precludes wear and tear holes in that fabric;  and positioning floating row cover over squash and pumpkin plants really raises the temperature underneath the “Ree-May ®” or “Agribond ®” fabric, and the almost-ripe fruit has a significant chance to mature, especially when frost is only weeks away.

Out in the garden, now is the time to finish planting garlic – I’m trying a new to me garlic variety, named “Doukhobor”, which claims to have “intense heat” – the “Georgia Fire” variety I already grow has a sweat-raising reputation, so we’ll see.

Now is NOT the time to fertilize fruit trees and bushes, as the nitrogen hit will encourage a flush of tender leaves, causing Winter distress to the plants. However, now IS the time to soak those trees and bushes with water, keeping months-long dehydration at bay.

This is the time to cut out those brown raspberry canes, the ones that bore fruit this year – be sure to leave the purple or green canes that will bear fruit next year – I prefer to burn the brown canes, as they sometimes contain the eggs of next Summer’s cane borers.

Now is the time to start one more compost bin on it’s way to usefulness in Spring 2020:  lots of leaves and grass clippings are available, as well as field straw, and livestock poo – a little time spent now will create brown earthy goodness for planting time next season.

Gardening resolutions for the 2020 season here at Rancho McGinty:  start seeds indoors two weeks earlier – we had gaps in the planting/harvesting timeframes (open dirt, no available transplants); plant baby veggies outside much sooner than we did this year – we need to push our luck if we want more ripe veggies; buy seeds now – some of our favorite varieties were not available, or at least not when we needed them; and use more heavy duty weed fabric to reduce the  “where did all those weeds come from?!” moments – our time in the garden (and here on Earth) is precious.

GARDEN CALENDAR:

On October 8^th, our local garden club will hold it’s last 2019 meeting, AND annual Harvest Dinner at 7 P.M., in Camden Grange.  We will dine on cooked meat (potentially automotively-processed, but I’ll see what the road side inventory looks like), side dishes prepared with produce from the gardens and orchards of our club members, and desserts, etc.  If you will be attending, please let me know how many of “you” there are, and what you will be bringing.  This particular meeting is also the time to bring your cherished Garden Club Garden Gnome, if you are one of the lucky few – the stature-challenged guys hold their annual Gnome Conclave on the same evening.

You can discover additional details on the Harvest Dinner by checking our club’s website, www.elk-camdengardenkeepers.blogspot.com, or by looking at our Facebook group page. 

On the 10^th of October, those fabulous flora facilitators, the Master Gardeners of Pend Oreille County will offer a class on “Gardening with Wildlife”.  I initially thought the class would show us gardeners how to benefit from the remains of all those veggie and fruit marauders (raccoons, deer, turkeys – despoilers all!), but no, the class instructors, Carol Mack and John Stuart tell me that their two hour session from 6:30 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. will focus on “coexisting with our feathered and furry friends”.  The class will be held in the Pend Oreille County/W.S.U. Extension Office, located at 227 South Garden Avenue, Newport, and you may register for the $5 class by calling 509-447-2401.

That’s it for this year – enjoy your Winter, and I’ll see you in March 2020.