The Edible Garden Project: Late October 2012 Update

You're looking at the last bit of harvest from our middle raised bed. With the change in weather and increase in precipitation - we decided it was time to prep our garden for the winter months. 

So we pulled out all our tomato plants, Japanese eggplant, New Zealand spinach, and remaining basil (Thai, Cinnamon, & Genovese) and harvested all that we could - including oodles of green tomatoes. In the process we even discovered that we actually grew a few jalapeno peppers! 

After pulling it all, we dug in some compost, turned the soil, and planted some ground cover of peas and oats. In the spring we'll turn the plants back into the bed to continue to enrich the soil.

We also cleaned up our front bed - it was a mess of wilting artichoke and rhubarb plants. We cut them back, covered the roots with ground cover and some terra cotta pots to keep them warm over the cold nights. To be totally honest - this bed is a complete experiment and we'll see how this plan of ours goes as far as getting these plants to re-grow in the spring.

And here's the only not totally depressing looking bed. Our fall garden is coming along alright - the mustard greens, lettuce, and arugula are all doing well. On the other hand, I've given up on growing broccoli and bok choi - the bugs just seem to eat those to death. In another attempt that I'm not sure whether or not is wise, we've covered this bed to try and keep the plants a bit warmer.

Are you growing anything over the winter? What do you do to prep your garden for the winter?

 Check out more posts about The Edible Garden Project.