Row Covers Work

Row covers work against the frost and freezing temps we have had recently. I just picked peas again yesterday and had enough for dinner. I had covered the plants with the row covers a couple of weeks ago just in time to beat our first frost here in Northern Arizona. The peas were actually still blooming! Yea!!!

I've taken them off now though. It is time for me to change my season too. I don't garden in the winter, at least not in the outdoors. This is the time to take a breather and relax before I start planning for the planting in the Spring. I have to finish putting the gardens to bed by removing the plants and composting them.  I need to do a soil test and disconnect the irrigation systems yet as well.  Then, after a few weeks off for the Holidays, I'll be ready to settle in with the new seed catalogs that start arriving soon after Thanksgiving.  Oh what fun!

Speaking of fun and the Holidays, while you are catching your breath from all the gardening chores, why not go visit our Holiday Recipe Exchange.  Leave your comments and share your recipes too. (That soup recipe is where I put those fresh peas I picked yesterday.)

Have a Great Day!

Arlene Kaye

Gardening Books

    There are literally hundreds of great books on the topic of organic gardening.  We have placed a number of them in our new store. Out of the fifty or so Gardening Books that I personally own, the one I most frequently use and that has the most wear and tear is The Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Edward C. Smith.

The Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Edward C. Smith.

    The first 175 pages cover all the things you need to know to get your garden started.  For example, he talks about the advantages of growing your garden in a wide and deep raised bed.  I can tell you from my experience he is right on the mark with that idea.  I have done both deep wide beds and traditional in the ground gardening.  The raised beds heat up faster for one thing and the beds don't get all compacted from walking on them.  I do mine about 4 feet wide at the outside and 18 inches deep.  It is easier to tend to and easier to harvest from.  He tells you how to build it with clear easy instructions.

    Another thing I like about this book is the coverage of the topic of "planning your garden".  He talks about crop rotation, he talks about spacing, and he talks about companion planting. He tells you how to jump start your garden and how to make it self sufficient.  Then he tell you how to prepare the gardens for winter so they will be ready for your next planting.

   He has a great section on pest control  and keeping your soil healthy, including how to make your own compost.  All the pest control methods are organic, of course.

   He has taken the time to devote the balance of the book to discussing the individual vegetables with all the little details like temperature and water requirements.  He tells you what PH level the plant needs and most importantly, what plants each plant likes to be planted next to and which ones to NEVER plant together.

   All in all, this is an excellent gardening book that I am sure you will refer to many, many times.  May you always have fun in your garden and may you always have a bountiful harvest!

Using Floating Row Covers

I use AG-19 floating row covers in my garden both in the Spring and in the Fall.  Here are some tips to get the most from them in your garden.


 Since this is the end of October, I will start with the Fall applications.  If your temperatures are dropping in the overnight like ours are, you might want to consider getting the row covers back out and covering those peppers and tomatoes.  Gently lay the cover over the plants, securing them anyway you can to keep them from blowing away.  Tie them to the garden fencing if possible or to a tomato stake that is supporting your plants. This will help extend the garden season by as much as a few weeks depending on the weather. 


 I also use the floating row covers in the Spring.  I use nine gauge wire to make hoops as a support system to keep the row cover up off the plants, creating a tunnel effect. This is done after I have planted the seed or set out the transplants.  The benefits of using the row cover in this manner are many, among which is warmer temps to help the seedlings sprout and grow.  The additional benefit of reducing insect damage and keeping the mice and birds from eating the garden vegetables as soon as they come up is even better.

The row cover I use allows for 85% of the sun and light to come through so the vegetable seeds will grow.  I use a soakerhose system for irrigation so I don't have to water by hand but the row cover allows for water to come through anyway so you can water by hand if need be.  I leave the covers on until the first blooms appear and then remove them, making sure they are dry before I fold them to use again later in the season.
Helpful tip:  If you store your row covers in a container of some sort, mark the outside of the container with the garden section that the covers were used in.  That will save time the next time you use them because you won't have to keep dragging the covers out one by one and finding they are too short or too long for the row you're wanting to use it on.