Hello Gardeners and Happy Fall!
As the garden season winds down, Dan says "Congratulations!" Thank you for
participating in the 2022 Community Garden! It is amazing to watch the many
techniques used to nurture the soil and beneficial insects, to battle
attacking rodents and bugs, to keep weeds at bay, and to keep tomato plants
under control. And it's rewarding to see each gardener harvesting the
beautiful things they have grown.
Many gardeners have been working hard to prepare their plots for winter-
piles of plant debris are appearing in the middle of plots, cover crops
have been sowed (sown?), and leaves brought in to nourish the soil. Here is
a reminder from the Town website about what is expected of gardeners at the
end of the season: "Annual gardens must be clean and free of all plant
material by (mid-October). All participants are responsible for cleaning
their plot of stakes, fences and debris. Do not leave wire, metal or
poly-type materials in your garden, as it will damage plows and tillers.
All sunflower and corn stalks must be placed in designated areas at the end
of the season or chopped fine and incorporated into your soil." Part of
this clean up includes collecting plant debris and piling it loosely in
your plot.
If you are unable to prepare your plot for winter, perhaps because you
moved or have become incapacitated, please let one of us know so that we
can get it taken care of before it is too late.
We will dissemble the water system in the next few weeks. Please watch for
an announcement if you'd like to help. Also, the Town will be bringing a
load of leaves and we will need help spreading them around the garden. They
will add a lot of precious organic material!
Thank you again for your participation in the Community Garden!
Dan and Hilary
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Vermont Garden Network <garden@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, Oct 5, 2022 at 11:26 AM
Subject: Putting Your Community Garden Plot to Bed
To: <hilaryfrostwarner@xxxxxxxxx
[image: VCGN logo_2color-REV_Proof1 _4_.png]
October 05, 2022
Welcome to Growing Together, our bi-weekly newsletter full of timely tips
for gardeners in Vermont. Every two weeks, from April through October, we
are sharing suggestions for what to pay attention to in your garden, as
well as resources to learn more.
Planting Calendar - save planting for spring, final harvests now
Final harvests!
For this week we are featuring Fruition Seed's
<https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001vurQhoLDXDFAwURHfP9YPfKqECHzd04nlCHirtQ7nsKefMrUlUQpA5oj9J37ec4dgXO89n4cGP_2LI1N9kzHFcuUJLwqHkudzOp7sZQ-MEKVhKRu53In6LedQIfWEpnoi51JpaFRp1RglaRwuEljOhPEnSVSdYWbkY8K99vfsS0WhsyqPMsd0r7TJ2Du8kTFGY2SezFCTQ9AsQAIE3N4pmJ-iuKXFJvysef3w31v8hc=&c=-w1Z5smr1qBlkCBYfuJNq3ZUBAlXydaV6tvEynYqc_0Ab29RnJ83dA==&ch=3TIjKg7W-xzgWxLqvEdxqMsmS3GR-4BIOmZmaVre2pz6Y9s6H3wWdg==>
info
sheet on preparing for first frost.
We have already seen two light freezes on 9/29 and 10/2 at the Intervale
and Ethan Allen Homestead gardens, so if you haven't been hit with a frost
yet, keep an eye on the forecast and harvest all of your tender annuals
such as beans and any plants in the solanum and cucurbit families. Any
planting besides garlic/overwintering onions should be saved for the spring.
See below for a deeper dive into how to prep for frost.
Garden Care - Tips & Techniques for Health and Resilience
Tomatoes after light freeze. Symptons include wilty, black/brown soggy
leaves & stems.
Chart showing vegetables and the temperatures that will cause damage.
Though blankets and sheets will work for the first few frosty nights, you
will need to remove them in the morning to allow in the light. Using row
cover (thicker is better at this time of the season) provides the same
service but requires less maintenance as you can leave it in place.
Preparing for First Frost in Fall
Average frost dates
Averages are taken from the nearest weather station and are calculated from
data taken over multiple years. Be sure to check the frost dates from your
nearest weather tower and consider how factors such as high elevation,
microclimates, low spots, and any place near water can experience frost
even if the predicted temperatures are above 32 degrees.
Note: frost is more likely to occur on clear, still nights.
Types of frost
Below are the various types of frost that will occur as we transition from
fall to winter as defined by Almanac
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.
Light freeze: 29° to 32°F (-1.7° to 0°C)—tender plants are killed.
Moderate freeze: 25° to 28°F (-3.9° to -2.2°C)—widely destructive to most
vegetation.
Severe freeze: 24°F (-4.4°C) and colder—heavy damage to most garden plants.
Light Freeze or temps that drop to 32 degrees is what is considered to be
"first frost" as it has significant impact to many of your summer crops.
Hardy verse tender plants
Hardy or tender are words used to describe how plants respond to frost
exposure. Some hardy plants like broccoli, brussel sprouts, and carrots
actually prefer cooler temps to properly mature and sweeten. Tender plants
will simply die once temps drop to 32 degrees. Follow the link
<https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001vurQhoLDXDFAwURHfP9YPfKqECHzd04nlCHirtQ7nsKefMrUlUQpA5oj9J37ec4dc2oQzf86eoy6iTalzQPg-N1mwHYvdkjhPznEUch395XsD71wpk2IIKsrU02JgbugfK2AvGloYsZRCPbyaXRFsXXpKDBAcUW1gufO2OILTcwLeHG2WWHjbg==&c=-w1Z5smr1qBlkCBYfuJNq3ZUBAlXydaV6tvEynYqc_0Ab29RnJ83dA==&ch=3TIjKg7W-xzgWxLqvEdxqMsmS3GR-4BIOmZmaVre2pz6Y9s6H3wWdg==>
to learn more about which plants can withstand certain temperatures.
Protection
Materials like row cover, blankets, or sheets can help capture the heat
rising from the soil and protect against the frost layer. They can even
help support your tender annuals throughout the first few frosts of the
season, extending your harvest.
Pests & Diseases - late season managemnet
Rotate your crops: it is good practice, even at small scales, to rotate
your crops each year as many pest and disease overwinter in the soil.
Late Season Pest Management
All this talk about frost reminds us that the season if coming to a close.
During this time, though it may evoke unpleasant memories, it is key to
remember your spring/summer pests. Many of these pests will overwinter in
the soil and in garden debri. Below are a few pointers as to how to
properly put your garden to rest in a way that mitigates next season's
pests.
Throw away diseased plants & weeds : diseased plants should be thrown out,
yes, into the trash both during the season and at the end. Even if you are
maintaining your own compost system it is crucial to trash them as your
home compost system will not get hot enough to kill bacteria/fungi or weed
seed.
Remove garden debri: some pests will burrow away in exisitng plant
material. Clearing away dead plant material can help manage pest
populations.
Note: mulching with straw mulch or cover crop after you remove any diseased
or pest infested plants is still highly encouraged.
Soil Testing
Fall is the perfect time to test your soil
Soil tests are a great tool to add to your overall garden management plan.
Understanding the soil pH, macro & mirco nutrient levels, and the % of
organic matter can help you know what your soil needs to support vigorous
plant growth.
At VGN we prefer to test our soil in the fall. This way we can use the
extra time we have in the winter to make calculations based off of our
results and determine which ammendments we would like to add the following
Spring. We bring our soil test samples to UVM as they are closest to us and
offer suggestions based on other Vermont soil data. Follow this link
<https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001vurQhoLDXDFAwURHfP9YPfKqECHzd04nlCHirtQ7nsKefMrUlUQpA5oj9J37ec4dK951wyeW37Bfta2j_qzayY1exEimc97ZTnsGSDMZtDbaq9_fds-MDC0bU4b_DItf_nZAprStfpmyumP50EXK8UQ3Mx4Dr5prICahJVW5-NP3YsTP5OfPL_4j483LIZRxbYdR5Zv93VYK_ICA9ZrvBA==&c=-w1Z5smr1qBlkCBYfuJNq3ZUBAlXydaV6tvEynYqc_0Ab29RnJ83dA==&ch=3TIjKg7W-xzgWxLqvEdxqMsmS3GR-4BIOmZmaVre2pz6Y9s6H3wWdg==>to
their website to gather more information about how to take a soil sample,
how to send it, and how to read the results.
[image: Facebook]
<https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001vurQhoLDXDFAwURHfP9YPfKqECHzd04nlCHirtQ7nsKefMrUlUQpAy1Iou-Dc6DP7dPr-D370gIx0VxQDYxz-7Eo2zbgZ_nUfdkcyH7wXbOXRFWmK3JTbQyfpnLH-LLAEEcThv9ZvLTu0M1R1QiRnNfP7xGzwjsa&c=-w1Z5smr1qBlkCBYfuJNq3ZUBAlXydaV6tvEynYqc_0Ab29RnJ83dA==&ch=3TIjKg7W-xzgWxLqvEdxqMsmS3GR-4BIOmZmaVre2pz6Y9s6H3wWdg==>
[image: Instagram]
<https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001vurQhoLDXDFAwURHfP9YPfKqECHzd04nlCHirtQ7nsKefMrUlUQpA4PHyNjhc4LbGqZcaJVfIXm6eWIeeeG7zM6gmnpfO6mBEFb3KsTm_KipllLDl0Mq4ZmCxZbNO2Grc6ATBfZQy-oRwsLSGn1ChAkFGORyU51l&c=-w1Z5smr1qBlkCBYfuJNq3ZUBAlXydaV6tvEynYqc_0Ab29RnJ83dA==&ch=3TIjKg7W-xzgWxLqvEdxqMsmS3GR-4BIOmZmaVre2pz6Y9s6H3wWdg==>
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