The Sleeping Garden

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Wait. This is too much work. My question is, do you happen to have a life outside of the profession of farming? Because you'll have to abandon it, given that there are only 24 hours in a day. If you garden on a small scale, a few bales of straw (dirty, rotten straw is best), a few rolls of black plastic (optional), and your trusty compost heap can obviate the need for cover crops.

Throughout the year, Joy and I haul the soiled straw out of the barn and chicken coop and plop it on the compost pile. But in the final sunny days before it gets too cold and wet to work outside, we spread it directly on the dead beds (those without-root vegetables like garlic and onions busily growing all winter) in as thick a layer as possible, and we then do the same with the contents of the compost pile. This is called sheet composting. We use only a wheelbarrow and a pair of pitchforks, make a day of it, and generally have a good time. (Our neighbors down the road don't even mulch; they just let the weeds take over, citing a gardening article that says that a cover crop of weeds will keep the soil as healthy as another cover crop. Joy and I have reservations about that, but there's no doubt that our neighbors grow a better-than-fine garden every year.)

Afterwards, we cover the beds with black plastic for a couple of weeks, just long enough to let everything rot a little more. This serves two functions: the black plastic will heat up the straw mulch and compost and also hold it in place against the wind until the compost "glues" itself to the bed. Then we refold the plastic and put it away until next spring. At that point, we will spread it out again briefly to warm up the soil before the first light cultivation, leaving it in place just long enough to catch and hold solar heat.

Some gardeners leave it on longer, cut slits, and plant their seeds (radishes, carrots, parsnips) in the openings. I don't recommend it; if the plastic shifts from wind or walking on it, you'll smother your first crop or the seedlings will be badly etiolated (a botanist's word for white and lifeless). There are a few pros and (major) cons to using plastic for any gardening purpose and we'll talk about this more, in due time and the next issue. We'll also go over soil testing; my personal view, backed by the testimony of expert gardeners, is that soil should be tested in the early spring.

Stand back and take a look. Are you finished mulching your beds? Until spring comes, you won't be using your old garden tools on a daily basis. Here it is, October going on November; do you know where your gardening tools are? Scattered all over your garden, that's where — leaning against the fences, a few along the beds, and some hiding in the garage or greenhouse. Take advantage of these idle cold days to round them up from the yard, shop, greenhouse, garden beds, and compost pile and give the heads a once-over with a file to point up the edges. First, clean off all the dirt by hoeing or shoveling a gravel pile or use a hose (if you must.) A wire brush will work and you may need a circular wire wheel and electric drill to remove rust.

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