The Literary Gardener – Dec 2015/Jan 2016

“From December to March, there are for many of us three gardens – the garden outdoors, the garden of pots and bowls in the house, and the garden of the mind’s eye.” ~ Katherine S. White, Onward and Upward in the Garden, 1979

I found this quote in the Garden Guide for the Rogue Valley, and was inspired to create a “To-Do Checklist” for winter gardeners. Certainly, there are many tasks to keep us active this season. On the other hand, I rather like garden writer Barbara Winkler’s more laid back, reflective approach to winter gardening. She writes, “Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle…a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl. And the anticipation nurtures our dreams.”

Here is my list of gardening tasks, as well as ideas to dream about during the next few months. For more information on these topics, visit the OSU Extension website at http://extension.oregonstate.edu.

Begin harvesting vegetables that sweeten after a few light frosts. Brussels sprouts and leafy greens, such as kale, lettuce, and chard, are tastier after a few light kisses from Jack Frost.

Set out garlic. There are still a couple of weeks to plant garlic cloves for a spring harvest of tops or a summer harvest of bulbs. Garlic requires full sun and well-draining soil with higher pH (6.7-6.8); add lime to increase alkalinity. Garlic roots develop in winter and support rapid leaf growth in spring that will then spur the garlic to develop large bulbs for harvesting mid-summer.

Cut back herbs and other perennials after hard frost. Herbaceous mint, oregano, and culinary sage are cut back to soil level; woody thyme, rosemary and lavender are cut back to one-third their size. Also give dahlias a hard cut, leaving only a few inches of the stump above ground. Prune fall-bearing raspberries and tie up trailing canes to wire. Apply manure around the root zone of berry plants.

Check stored harvest. Keep an eye on stored vegetables for rot or insects. Storage should be in a dark location and the ideal temperature is 40-45 degrees F. Cabbage and root crops—beets, carrots, and parsnips—like more humid conditions, whereas potatoes, onions, squash, and beans need dryer air. Provide air circulation by opening a window or vent on warmer days and using a fan on cold days.

Prepare cold frames, tunnel rows, greenhouses. Sustained freezing temperatures and heavy rain can damage winter crops and breed plant diseases. Prepare for extreme weather by readying cold frames or tunnel rows that will trap heat and protect winter crops from drowning or freezing. The ideal location for these season extenders is in southern or southwestern exposure, preferably with a wind barrier to the north such as a hedge or wall.

Protect irrigation. Remember to drain waterlines and insulate valves with home insulation placed in a plastic bag.

Check water drainage in yard and garden beds. After a heavy rain, look for low pockets where run-off has pooled and take steps to even out the terrain. Dig a hole about 18 inches deep and examine the saturation level and water table.

Inventory garden tools. Check to see which tools need to be cleaned, aligned, or sharpened. When replacing tools, invest in high-quality implements made from hardened steel.

Inventory seeds. Lose yourself in a variety of seed catalogues (my favorite is The Whole Seed Catalogue from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds). Try out some of the new offerings as well as time-tested favorites.

Plan garden beds and landscape features. You don’t have to be an artist to sketch out your garden. Identify zones with similar sunlight, soil, water, and wind conditions. Label what you already have in each zone and then consider which compatible plants might be used to fill in gaps. Replace unhealthy plants with drought-tolerant and disease-resistant varieties.

Set gardening goals. Think about what went well in your garden this year and why. Then consider what you’d like to change in your garden and why. Plan goals that include both strengths and areas you’d like to improve. The community education classes offered by the OSU Extension Service and the Jackson County Master Gardener Association are an excellent low-cost resource for accomplishing gardening objectives.

With so many gardening considerations, surely winter will fly by. But if gloomy, cold days become tedious, perhaps we can take heart in the words of Nobel Prize-winning novelist Albert Camus who wrote, “In the depths of winter I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”