BUNDLING UP
October is a transitional month filled with mixed emotions: a month of rest and reflection, celebration, and a time to imagine the next chapter. For me, a type of grieving accompanies this month, a recognition that another year has passed and that summer is over. But in other ways the arrival of October is a long-anticipated relief. As the intensity of the season culminates, I let go of any regrets and anxiety and allow that energy to slowly shift into planning for the next year. Along with the fall festivals and canning parties, we also celebrate the birthday of my son, Pieter, on October 4. We affectionately call this time of year “pumpkin time,” and I can’t think of a better birthday month for a kid growing up on a farm. Connecting his birth with the abundant fall harvest has always been a joy.
PLAN
■ Record details such as first frost and rain amounts in journal
■ Prepare for frost: listen to the forecast
■ Indoor gardening: continue with herbs and microgreens
PREPARE AND MAINTAIN
■ Check and maintain stored crops
■ Clean and store winter squash
■ Turn off water and drain hoses
SOW AND PLANT
EVERYONE
■ Plant under cover: beets, carrots, kale, salad greens, and Swiss chard
ZONES 5 AND 6
■ Finish planting garlic
HARVESTING NOW
Arugula Beets Bok choy Broccoli Brussels sprouts Carrots Frisée Kale Kohlrabi Leeks Lettuce Parsley Parsnips Potatoes Radicchio Radishes Salad greens Scallions Shallots Swiss chard Turnips Winter squash
October means the end of the traditional growing season. If you still have crops in the ground or in hoop houses, growth is now really starting to slow down—but it is not over. Often my last patch of cauliflower or broccoli will slowly size up during the warmer fall days and I can keep harvesting into November or occasionally December. I am always grateful for slow, warm fall seasons, but more often than not we get a freeze and everything comes to a halt.
An upside to colder weather is that some plants react to and put up defenses at the first light frost. Brassicas like kale, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts become sweeter. Some savvy farmers’ market customers know this and they won’t start buying these items until after the first frost. It turns out that sugar is nature’s anti-freeze. The plants turn their starches into sugars in order to survive longer in the harsh conditions. If you haven’t noticed this, or you have not harvested after it starts frosting outside, I suggest paying close attention and trying those post-frost vegetables. I have experimented with growing in hoop houses for several years, and nothing is sweeter than the spinach we grow through the winter. It almost makes me not want to eat it any other time of year.
FROST TOLERANCE
DAMAGED BY |
TOLERATES |
TOLERATES |
Beans |
Arugula |
Broccoli |
Cucumbers |
Beets |
Brussels |
Eggplants |
Cauliflower |
sprouts |
Peppers |
Celery |
Cabbage |
Pumpkins |
Kohlrabi |
Carrots |
Summer squash |
Lettuce |
Kale |
Tomatoes |
Peas |
Leeks |
Winter squash |
Radicchio |
Onions |
Radishes |
Parsnips |
|
Swiss chard |
Spinach |
|
Turnips |
A light frost is considered to be in the range of 28 to 32 degrees F, whereas a hard frost occurs when temperatures drop below 28 degrees F. Both types of frost will affect the plants growing in your garden.
One change to consider, especially if you are pushing the season, is that as soon as the hard frosts come, the pollinators stop their work. They hibernate, die, or live off the larder they have created. I have been tempted in the past to do a late pea planting, or push tomatoes and peppers into the fall, but it can’t be done without pollinators. In professional greenhouses, you can purchase mason bees and other pollinators in the off-season, but that probably isn’t practical for the home gardener. So, plan to finish up with flowering crops that require pollination by the end of October or maybe even a little sooner because the bees that linger get lazy in the cold.
Frosty Harvests: Dos and Don’ts
Observation and patience come into play once again when harvesting in the fall. After a frost, it can be a little tricky to know what is damaged and what is still okay. The images and smells on the mornings of those first frost days are powerful. It is clear that something has changed. The grass crunches, it is usually quieter than normal because insects are dormant or dead, and evidence is everywhere in the form of white ice crystals. On the farm, we take the time to observe and decide how hard of a frost it was, and if we think everything will die or just some things. As the day goes on, the sun comes out, and the temperature comes up above freezing, we find out. Usually the first frost means just the tops of plants get burned, and some areas of the farm are untouched because they are protected by being close to the woodlot. By the end of the day wilting has begun and we can assess the damage. Leaves droop, turn dark green or black, and a post-frost smell permeates the air. The smell is hard to describe, maybe like the smell of an old freezer, but in my mind it is the smell of plant death.
Because it is so hard to know how pervasive the frost has been, I always wait to harvest until later in the day when plants have thawed, even with hardy crops like spinach and kale. This is the opposite of harvesting early in the morning in August when the concern is getting plants out of the garden before it gets too hot. The heat from your hands quickly thawing the leaves will cause bruises and damage. If you let the leaves of hardy plants sort out the frost on their own, while connected to the plant, they will be okay.
When it comes to fruits that are still on plants wait a day to see what they look like. Part of what happens when vegetables freeze is that the plant cells burst and release water. Usually you will notice a soft watery spot on peppers and tomatoes, in addition to the skin becoming a little translucent. But fruits that are still well covered by leaves will often be fine. If you really want those last few fruits, it is worth spending the time to search and sort.
I hope that before the first hard frost you have harvested all the root crops you want to store. If not, beware as you harvest. Freezing can damage the tops of turnips and radishes, as well as potatoes that are near the surface. It is difficult to tell if potatoes have been damaged until they go soft and rot. (Rotten potatoes are nauseating, so avoid this if possible.) Turnips and radishes are easier. Slice one in half: if a portion of the root is translucent or discolored this is usually a sign that frost has hit. You can cut off the affected parts and eat the rest of the root, but they are not worth storing at this point.
THE LAST FEW BITES
It can be hard to let go of summer’s bounty, but luckily there are a few ways to extend the fruit season besides row covers and hoop houses. If you think that the first frost is coming, do a “frost pick” to salvage the last ripe and almost-ripe fruits. Then experiment with these simple methods for stretching out the season:
Boxing: Choose tomatoes that are nearly full-grown and have almost no blemishes. Rinse them off with water, peroxide, or a little bleach to kill the surface bacteria and lower the chances of disease. Thoroughly dry the tomatoes, wrap them individually in newspaper, and store them in a box one layer deep. Check periodically to make sure that the wrapped tomatoes are not rotting. Within 3 to 4 weeks they should be ready to eat.
Hanging: This drying technique works to ripen tomatoes as well as to ripen and dry peppers. Leaving peppers and tomatoes on the vine will let them mature and age more slowly, and they will be more flavorful than those removed from the plant. It is a little messy, and you will need some space in a garage or basement where it won’t freeze. Select plants that still have a lot of fruit on them. Pull them out of the ground, roots and all, and shake off the soil. Next, hang the plant upside down from a ceiling hook with twine. For peppers, let them shrivel and dry before untying the plant and removing the fruit. For tomatoes, the fruit will slowly ripen, and you can use the fruit until it is gone. The smaller, more immature fruit may not fully ripen, but give them time and see what happens. You can always make fried green tomatoes!