Fall Garden

Now's the time to plant your seeds for a fall garden.  Though the fall is not warm enough to give us sun-ripened tomatoes, many seasoned farmers tell me fall in Arkansas is a great time to reap a harvest.

Below are mustard greens I planted from seed a couple weeks ago.  They need to be thinned.  In the upper right of that same picture is kale that I transplanted from my house to the community garden.  The grasshoppers seem to really like the baby kale.  I have been advised to clip off the leaves that are yellow because the plant sends energy first to the dying leaf in an effort to save it.

This morning I talked with an organic farmer, Tara Stainton of Rattle's Garden in Vilonia, and she said she waited until this week to plant kale, hoping to miss the grasshoppers.

I have lettuce and collard green seeds waiting to find themselves in my soil...I just need the time to sneak down to the garden.  Anyone relate?  :)

As you clean out spent plants from the summer's garden, it's a good idea to add some compost or other organic material into the raised bed.  This will not only help aerate the soil but also add a fresh serving of nutrients.

Happy gardening!