Sing it like Journey's "Don't Stop Believing."
Dont stop... gar-den-ing... Hold onto that feeling, yeah... Swiss chard...carrots... oh, oh, oh!
And I've had that in my head for the past few days now.
Seriously, just because fall is around the corner doesn't mean we are throwing our hands up in the garden this year.
Gardening does not end on September 1.
In the Minnesota garden, we are in fall mode now. Check it out:
- Carrots
- Beets
- Swiss chard
- Brussel sprouts
- Three kinds of cabbage
- Dinosaur kale...
Not to mention all the perennials going. (The Fall Gold Raspberries are spreading like weeds now... good autumn eating!)
All of these will take us way into November. And when we are talking about using a greenhouse, there is no need for any downtime. We can actually make fall and spring meet and kiss all the way up in the northern climates with some clever design and planning.
Now on the flip-side of this, the Blackbird Food Forest is down in Paradise Valley Arizona, right near Phoenix. The downtime there is June-August and we made it through that by growing lots of basil, okra, squash, melons, cherry tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, herbs, and perennial fruits. Stuff that can really take the heat. 115 degree heat. Not easy. So we are just now getting started, since the temp is finally going under 90 degrees at night. We still have loads of produce coming from everything planted this summer.
However, we know that it will dip down to the low 30s in about four months in Arizona, so we are starting seedlings for cooler stuff as well, but we know that we can overwinter all those cooler varieties, unlike up north where everything is frozen outside.
We know that growing our own food with supercharged soil and TLC is the best way for physical and spiritual health. We know that we can grow our own superfoods now. No more summertime gardener mentality like the past generations. We are permaculturists doing it 365 days a year. It's a whole different level.
So make the most out of each season. If you're living in the cooler parts of the planet up north, it's a good time to start all those things mentioned about the Minnesota garden. Get good seedlings for some of those if you can, they will give you at least a one month head-start. Then, you can stagger the rest with seeds.
If you're one of the lucky folks living in warmer areas, there is still time for tomatoes and eggplants. But I wouldn't start them from seed, go with good seedlings. We are starting our cold weather stuff from seed right now and it's mid-September. If your plants don't get large enough before the cold, you can always cover them with burlap. Spinach does very well with this method, and don't forget an affordable hoop-house.
Always remember to plant garlic in every little spot you can find this September and October, and also focus on building up the soil and composting leaves. A gardener's work is never done (Thankfully).
Much love and keep planting those seeds!
For more articles on "Raw Model" Anthony Anderson Click here
Rawmodel.com is about personal liberation from sickness, all types of dogma, self-imposed inhibitions, and the corporate food chain. It is about living in accordance with Nature's laws and being active in physically rebuilding the Paradise that our ancestors destroyed. Besides Rawmodel.com, you can find him as a contributing writer on The Huffington Post, Gliving, and WelikeitRaw. Anthony has modeled for companies such as Hugo Boss, Target, Macy’s, Tommy Hilfiger, JcPenney, Kohls, Gillette, Acura, and Paul Mitchell.
https://www.sunwarrior.com"
