Preparing for the Winterscape
Chris Smith, the community coordinator for Sow True Seed—an Asheville, N.C.-based company that specializes in open-pollinated, heirloom, and organic seeds—answers readers’ gardening questions.
What can I plant in winter that will be good for my soil?
As a general principle, bare soil is a bad thing. The top layer of soil, which should be full of microbial and insect life, is susceptible to harsh sun, drying and cracking, and nutrient leaching from rainfall. So, once you harvest your summer and fall vegetables, you’ll want to give some consideration to the empty beds.
You could just mulch those empty beds with fallen leaves and straw. This will certainly tackle the bare soil problem, but cover cropping goes one step further. Cover crops don’t just prevent degradation, they actively improve the soil.
Cover cropping acts on two levels.
1) The cover crops grow large amounts of biomass above ground. This protects the soil, suppresses weed growth, and provides a homegrown mulch that can be cut in place to decompose and enrich the soil.
2) The root systems of cover crops penetrate deep into the soil. When the cover crop dies, or is cut down, the roots decompose. This injects organic matter deep into the soil and provides aeration for water channels and insects. Planting legumes as a cover crop (vetch, peas, clover) has the added advantage of fixing nitrogen into the soil.
You can cover crop year round, but as with vegetable gardening, you need the right crop for the right season. In winter we have two options:
Winter-killed fall cover cropping: mung beans, oats and pearl millet are some examples of fall planted cover crops that will not survive the whole winter. In general, you will want to plant fall cover crops a little earlier (September is a good month) to get as much benefit from them before they die. They are a great option for beds in which you plan to plant early spring crops.
Over-wintering fall cover cropping: winter rye, hairy vetch, crimson clover, Austrian winter pea are examples of cover crops that will survive a fairly harsh winter. These crops will go dormant in the deepest part of winter, but continue growing in spring. They are great options for beds in which you plan to plant late spring or early summer crops. You can sow these seeds through October. You will have to chop these crops at the base a couple of weeks ahead of your desired planting date so they can begin to decompose.
Cover cropping is easy and effective, so try and avoid bare soil this year to make better soil for next year.
I want to grow my own garlic scapes. Is there a special kind of garlic for that?
Garlic can be planted all the way through November, with seed garlic available from garden centers or your favorite local seed company. When you buy and plant seed garlic you will often be faced with a choice between hardneck and softneck garlics (there are many varieties within each category). One of the major differences between the two is that hardnecks will send up a flower stalk in spring (a garlic scape) and softnecks will not. Hardnecks are closer to ‘wild’ garlic than softnecks.
Does that mean you should only plant hardnecks? Not necessarily. The benefit of a second early crop (the scapes) is certainly a big plus for hardnecks, but as a general rule softnecks will store for longer. Almost all garlic you find in supermarkets is softneck. So, if you want to be eating your own fresh garlic next spring, planting some softneck varieties is a good idea. Most people go for a mix of the two to get the best of both worlds.
If you’ve not experienced scapes in the spring, then be excited for a wonderful surprise. These curly flower stalks have a mild garlic flavor and crunchy texture. They can be used as you would garlic. I’ve fermented them, fried them with scrambled eggs and love throwing in a handful of scapes when I slow cook a chicken.
About the author: Contact Chris Smith at sowtrueseed.com.