MAGIC OF GARDENING
TAKING IT ALL IN A SUCCESSFUL HARVEST BY B E T H A N Y O ’ R E A R Days are growing shorter, and forecasts have nighttime temperatures starting to dip into the low 40s. Harvest time is just around the corner. Now is the time to prepare so that your crops can enjoy the longest growing season possible without making you scramble when frost is inevitable. Take a few easy steps in the next few weeks and take that stress off so you can enjoy your garden. The first step is to prioritize. Determine what HAS to be harvested prior to frost and what can be left in the garden with little or no protection for several 58
Cooperative Farming News
more weeks. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and eggplant have to be gathered before true frost sets in. Tender herbs like basil, cilantro, and dill will blacken at the hint of freeze and even sturdy flowers for drying – coneflower, lavender and yarrow – are best cut before cold nights. Many fall crops will tolerate, or even benefit from, some cold-temperature nights. Broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, kale and spinach will march through a cold snap, though they might need a little protection from a covering of straw or frost cloth when the thermom-
