How Does Your Garden Grow?

Proper fall garden maintenance greatly benefits spring crop yields

By Katherine Clarkson
Posted 9/23/22

With Wyoming’s short growing season, it is beneficial to plant and overwinter certain crops for a spring yield. 

Overwinter is the process of a plant establishing themself in the warmer …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in
How Does Your Garden Grow?

Proper fall garden maintenance greatly benefits spring crop yields

Posted

With Wyoming’s short growing season, it is beneficial to plant and overwinter certain crops for a spring yield. 

Overwinter is the process of a plant establishing themself in the warmer days, going dormant during the winter, and growing with a vengeance as soon as the soil is warm. The key to success is choosing appropriate plants and protecting them through the winter. With a little preparation, you can get a head start on your spring garden.

To determine the right plants, it is essential to understand your United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) planting zone. Each plant has its own determined hardness zones. This illustrates how tolerant a plant is to the lowest temperature in its designated area. The lower the number is, the lower the temperatures are in that zone. Further, each zone has segments (a) and (b). Each segment represents a five-degree temperature difference. Cody and Powell are zone 4a. Zone 4 means the minimum temperatures are between minus 30 to minus 20 degrees F and segment (a) represents minus 30 to  minus 25 degrees F Segment (b) would represent minus 25 to minus 20 degrees F. Generally, I choose plants that are one segment lower to accommodate fluctuations of temperature. In Wapiti, I select plants that are zone 3b or below. It is important to realize that as climate conditions change, zones might vary as well. With a general knowledge of USDA zones, it is time to select and plant some bulbs, seeds, and roots. It takes just a few minutes, and it is worth the effort when you have a late fall or early spring yields.

One vegetable seed you can sow in the fall is beets. To do this, plant the seeds more densely than the seed packet recommends and protect them by applying compost, pine shavings and mulch. You may gather small beets throughout the winter and if you do, they are pleasantly sweet. The surviving plants will go dormant and explode with growth during the spring. When deciding what bulbs to propagate, garlic is an excellent choice. Plant the bulb when the soil temperature is 40 degrees F for four weeks. To maintain this environment, I apply 2 to 3 inches of pine shavings and about 6 to 8 inches of mulch on top. Asparagus “crowns,” otherwise known as 1-year-old roots get planted in the fall for spring harvest. However, it takes two to three years to be established and possibly another two to three years to get a full harvest. When established, they can produce for 20 years. In Addition, plant asparagus in an area that is well drained and use a fertilizer that has 10% nitrogen, 10% phosphorus, and 10% potassium fertilizer (10-10-10). Besides identifying your USDA zone and choosing the right plants, you can use a winter shelter, such as a cold frame or simply applying mulch. 

A cold frame is a wooden structure with an open bottom and a clear, solid top. It captures the sun and creates a warm, comfortable microclimate inside. Adding mulch will help reduce fluctuation of soil temperature and keep moisture. It is also important to prepare your soil to feed your seedlings in the spring. To prepare the soil, add organic matter such as leaves, lawn clippings (do not use clippings if sprayed with herbicide), stems, sticks, and even cardboard. The ratio of the amount applied depends on many factors. Please reach out to me if you would like more detailed information. 

This fall instead of thinking that it is the time to wrap up the garden, think of it as a time to sow plants for the spring. At very least add some compost and pine shaving to your garden to help replenish nutrients that were used last growing season. Thank you for reading and if you have questions or feedback, please reach out to me at clarkowagonwheel@gmail.com or katherineclarkson2@gmail.com. 

Comments