Putting the Garden to Bed

I am not a gardener but my hubby is and I truly enjoy the fruits of his labor (pun intended)!  But now it is time to put the garden to bed.  I, like many, used to think that once the garden was finished producing for the year the work was over till next spring.  Wrong!  The experienced gardener knows that next year's gardening success starts now.  So my hubby has been pulling out old plants, rototilling the beds, putting fulvic acid and gypsum around trees and in beds.  Of course the amenities you put on your garden will depend on where you live.  I am told that having your soil tested is critical.

Closeup of DIO-Betalon Screen

This year my husband made two 3 foot by 8 foot square-foot gardening boxes.  They were great!  We grew radishes, broccoli, collard greens, lettuce, nasturtiums and marigolds in the boxes.   Now they are planted with broccoli, cauliflower and collard greens.  Hubby has decided to cover these boxes to prolong the life of these cold weather vegetables so is experimenting with two different crop covers.  The one pictured here is called DIO-Betalon Screen.  It is "made of hygroscopic polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film which is outstanding in heat retention, light transmittance, weatherability, and heat resistance."  Light and rain are still able to get through but when it frosts, the moisture seals off the web-like surface to protect the plants down to 25 degrees.  That should give us a little more growing time--maybe till January?!!!  Hubby purchased another product from Australia that he is going to test on the 2nd square-foot gardening box to see which product he likes best.  Just received the one from Australia so don't have it up yet.

Square-foot gardening box covered with DIO-Betalon
2nd box awaiting product from Australia

Grow boxes with Lexan covers

We also have two grow boxes that have Lexan covers with solar arms that contain wax that melts to raise the cover when it gets warm and solidifies when it gets cool to lower the cover.

We often get an early start with tomato and pepper plants in these boxes but currently have lettuce and mustard greens growing in the one pictured here.

Next Wednesday I will show pictures and share information of the product from Australia so stay tuned!  Kat


www.squarefootgardening.com
(I am a HUGE fan!)
agrowcovers.com/ppdbs.aspx
(everything you want to know about DIO-Betalon)
www.gmagsupply.com
(where we purchased product)