Chapter 25

Next Year’s Garden

In This Chapter

• The fascinating world of seed savers

• Bringing herbs indoors safely

• The advantages of keeping a record of your gardening activities

• Getting a handle on tool care

If you’re an obsessive planner like I am, you’ll enjoy thinking about next year’s garden and all the wonderful things you might be able to do in it. If you’re the out-of-sight-out-of-mind type, you’ve probably already skipped this chapter.

In the next few pages, we enter the fascinating world of seed savers, who might very well have transformed an ancient agricultural practice into a cutting-edge horticultural trend. We also talk a little more about bringing herb plants indoors for winter enjoyment. And we look at why record keeping is not just for tax reasons. Finally, you learn how to take care of your pruners and other tools so they’ll be ready to go in the spring.

Saving Seeds

Did you know there’s a whole culture out there devoted to saving seeds? I’m not kidding. Seed saving is a worldwide phenomenon. There are seed saving clubs and associations, how-to books and handbooks, newsletters and magazines, websites, legislation, and meetings and conventions. One website starts out with the words this “tool is designed to empower individuals to participate in the creation of tomorrow.” It’s from an activist network dedicated to “protecting agricultural biodiversity and creating local food security.”

Seed saving is a fascinating topic. But what does it have to do with you, you might ask? Well, if you’re the thrifty type, you can save money by saving seeds. You can also be assured that you’ll have seeds for the plants you want, without risk of disappointment should the seed company run out of them. Another advantage of seed saving is that you can do your own organic thing. And you could actually develop a new variety with traits that please you.

Prof. Price’s Pointers

Hybrid plants are the offspring of two plants of different varieties (or species). A hybrid is a new variety with one or more genetic traits different from the parents. Open-pollinated seeds come from plants that have been pollinated by nature. Generally they produce offspring that are exactly like the parent plants, although it is possible for nature to produce a hybrid.

There are only a few basic things you need to know to start saving seeds. One of the most important is to know the kinds of plants you’re planning to collect seeds from. You want to collect seeds from plants that were grown from open-pollinated seeds (meaning by birds and other natural pollinators) rather than from hybrids. The naturally pollinated seeds will be more true to the original plant.

It’s very easy to save seeds from plants that produce seed pods or stalks. Simply allow the seeds to fully ripen on the plant, carefully cut the stalk or pod, place it in a paper bag, and shake it gently. Then remove the dried stalk and any vegetation, which leaves you with just seeds. Put the seeds in an airtight container like a baby food jar or a plastic zipper bag, and store them away from heat and light.

Saving seeds from fruiting vegetables is a little more complicated because you have to deal with the messy insides where the seeds develop.

I’ve read, although I have never tried it, that the way to save seeds from tomatoes is to take the squishy parts that hold the seeds and smear them on a piece of newspaper.

Let this dry, pick the seeds off the newspaper, and put them in a storage container. As messy a job as it is, I do think it’s worthwhile, especially if you’ve just had a spectacular season with an unusual plant.

Be sure to label your seeds as soon as you put them in the storage containers. It’s really hard to distinguish seeds, and you don’t want to plant turnips instead of cabbage!

Food for Thought

I’m not a seed saver (I’m way too disorganized), but I used to collect seeds from pumpkins every year at Halloween. After my husband cut jack-o’-lanterns with our girls, I would take the scooped-out pumpkin innards and clean them, removing all the gunk. Then I toasted them, but had I wanted to save them for planting, I would have dried them with paper towels and put them on a drying rack in a cool dry place. After the seeds were completely dried, I would have sorted through them to eliminate any that had any mold or rot and then put them in an airtight container. Very simple, very easy.

 

 

Some gardeners save seeds as a generation-to-generation thing, and they enjoy knowing that the corn or beans they’re growing is from the same stock as the ones their grandfathers planted. Other gardeners do it for the trading aspect. People swap seeds all over the country. Saving seeds is also a great hands-on science lesson for kids, and they might have fun with it.

Tool Care and Repair

You probably have a bit of investment in your garden tools, so you should take good care of them. I assume that during the gardening season you’ve been reasonably careful with your tools, taking care to clean off the soil and debris after each use. And you’ve always put them away at the end of the day. Right?

Well, even if you’ve been a little slipshod, you make up for it by giving all your tools a good cleaning and servicing before you hang them up for the winter.

Sharp as a Tack

Keeping pruning tools sharp is an essential task. You can have it done by a professional, which isn’t usually very expensive, or you can do it yourself.

My good friend Steve Cooper, who managed one of my favorite nurseries, used to sharpen my pruners for me when I’d stop by for a visit during the off-season. He’d take out an ancient whetstone and, with just a few strokes, make my pruners razor sharp. It’s a very old-fashioned skill, and one worth having.

Here’s how to take care of your pruners:

1. Clean the blades with a solvent like paint thinner, turpentine, or nail polish remover.

2. Rub the blades with steel wool or emery cloth to remove any rust or plant residue.

3. Sharpen the blade with a sharpening stone (also called whetstone or honing stone) at the same angle as the blade and always going in one direction (away from the blade).

4. Lubricate the hinges and springs with WD-40 or other lubricating oil.

5. Rub all the metal parts with mineral or vegetable oil or some other lubricating oil.

6. Wipe clean.

7. Return them to their proper storage space.

Food for Thought

I’ve seen classes on tool sharpening offered at large garden centers, adult schools, and county extension offices. If there’s one scheduled near you, go for it. Take all your pruners along and get them done while you learn the tricks of the trade.

Some experts suggest taking pruners apart to clean them thoroughly, but I’m not convinced. It would be just my luck to drop a screw or misplace a spring, and I would never be able to get the pruners back together again.

Other Tools

I assume you’ve cleaned all the soil off your spades, shovels, rakes, cultivators, and hand tools. That’s a given. The last cleaning of the season should include a thorough buffing with steel wool or emery cloth on the metal parts, followed by a rubdown with some kind of oil.

Pay attention to any wood handles, too. Sand wooden handles that might have developed rough spots, chips, or splinters. If the tools are old, the wood might be dried out. You can use some liquid or spray furniture polish or linseed oil to put some moisture back in.

Hoses and Machinery

If you live in an area that gets really cold, you should put all your hoses away. First drain them thoroughly, especially if you store them in a place that isn’t heated. Then roll them up. This simple step will save you money if you don’t have to replace hoses that have split open because they froze with water in them. Also be sure to drain any outside faucets that aren’t protected.

Of course you need to clean off any power equipment like a tractor or tiller, too. And you might want to think about having them serviced. But don’t do it now. Instead, make an appointment now to have the servicing done a month before you usually open your garden. That way it will be taken care of when you want to be out there digging.

If you put off taking your equipment, you’ll have to wait along with all the other gardeners who weren’t smart enough to plan ahead.

Garden Miscellany

Gardeners always have lots of other things besides tools that need to be taken care of at the end of the season. Here are a few to keep in mind:

• Clean and stack tomato cages.

• Untangle, roll, and store bird and pea netting.

• Gather and bundle stakes, and throw away any broken ones.

• Pull up, clean, and put away row markers.

• Empty watering cans and put them away.

• Check irrigation timers for any needed repairs or replacements; clean, and store.

• Clean your wheelbarrow or garden cart, and check for needed repairs. Don’t put it at the back of the shed because you might need it during the winter.

• Clean and disinfect pots and containers. Stack and store terra-cotta pots where they won’t get wet. (They absorb water, which can cause cracks or disintegration when it freezes.)

• Review any containers of herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers to see if they should be kept or disposed of. (Check with your local waste management department to find out the proper disposal methods.)

Keeping Records

I think the human race is divided into two basic groups: those who keep records and those who don’t. The record-keepers always write down their ATM withdrawals; the nons don’t. Record-keepers remember birthdays and anniversaries; the nons forget more often than not. I’m a non, and I keep lousy garden records—but that doesn’t mean I’m not a good gardener, and it doesn’t mean you aren’t a good gardener either.

Keeping a record (or at least good notes) provides you with all kinds of valuable information that not only helps you plan future gardening efforts, but allows you to improve your gardening skills. When you keep a record of your efforts, you’ll see patterns of successes and failures so you can change what you’re doing when necessary or increase other activities that are going well.

Take notes on what interests you. These are some of the things you might keep records of, but don’t limit yourself to the ones I’ve thought of:

• Plants, including the varieties and numbers you planted

• Sowing dates

• Weather details (temperature, rainfall, frosts, other conditions; include dates)

Food for Thought

Some of my favorite garden books are the elaborate written records of the authors’ years of experience. Thomas Jefferson’s Garden Book (University of North Carolina Press, 2001), a phenomenal collection of his garden notes, have been published in a book (a copy of which my parents gave me) that is more than 3 inches thick. It provides readers with a fascinating glimpse of the history of gardening in America.

• Germination times and success rates

• Set-out dates

• Flowering dates

• Fruit-set dates

• Maturity dates

• Harvest quantities and dates

• Insect information and dates they appear

• Disease problems and dates they appear

• Fertilizer use (types, quantities, dates)

• Expenses

• Tool purchases and repairs

It’s fun to go back through your notes from previous years to compare the current year’s weather or harvest details. And when you get old, you can impress your grand-children with your ability to “remember” that, on March 17, 2003, you planted 5 rows of peas and on August 1 of the same year, there was a huge hailstorm.

There are lots of pretty garden journals on the market. More often than not they are given to gardeners as holiday or birthday gifts; I don’t think gardeners tend to buy them for themselves. You can use a ledger book, like Thomas Jefferson did. Some people like to keep their journals on wall calendars (although it’s hard to find one with large enough squares), or in day planners. Having the dates right there makes it easier to keep track.

On my few attempts at keeping notes, I used a spiral-bound notebook. I liked the large pages, which gave me plenty of room to paste in seed packets, photos, and articles cut from magazines or newspapers. I like those notebooks with little pockets built into the front cover. That makes it easier to keep handouts from the county extension office or receipts from garden centers.

Planning for Next Year

For passionate gardeners, planning next year’s garden usually starts about the time the last seeds and seedlings have been planted this year. That’s when they wish they’d ordered more arugula seeds or had planted five different types of eggplant instead of just two.

Thinking about next year’s garden is one of my favorite off-season pastimes. I always have a stack of gardening books and catalogs beside my bed along with note cards and a pen so I can make lists (although I am a poor record-keeper, I am a world class list-maker).

Here are some resources for planning and reading up on next year’s garden:

• Stock up on gardening books. You can find lots of them at the library, but I think most gardeners like to own them; perhaps that’s the garden writer in me telling you to buy more books!

• Read and cut out magazine articles on garden topics that interest you.

• Send for gardening catalogs.

• Make lists of things you want to grow next year.

• Take classes and attend lectures. Community colleges, adult schools, and county extension offices offer courses and talks.

• Visit garden centers, nurseries, public gardens, and even friends’ gardens to look for ideas and gather information.

You can also take time during the off-season to go through the copious notes you took in your garden book. This will refresh your memory and give you a little shot of reality before you place your seed orders in December or January.

Let’s Rethink This

Did you make some really big mistakes this year? If you did, you’re not the only gardener who needs to make changes in next year’s effort. The biggest mistake many new gardeners make is that they started off with too much garden and it just got away from them.

Other mistakes include growing too much of one thing and not enough of something else. Some gardeners vow at the start of the season that everything will be done organically and naturally, but then they run into problems with severe infestations or diseases, or find out that the nitrogen deficiency isn’t helped enough by the application of a natural fertilizer.

The important thing to remember when you realize that you’ve made a mistake is that all gardens are living things; they grow and change every season and every year. You can always learn from your mistakes, make changes and adjustments, try new plants, and look for new solutions.

The Least You Need to Know

• Think about saving the seeds from your most successful vegetables for planting next season.

• Keep good records of your gardening activities.

• Use fresh potting soil and check for insects when bringing herbs indoors.

• Use your downtime to repair your tools, replace those that are beyond repair, and add new ones that will make gardening easier or more fun.

• Don’t be afraid to change the size of your garden or the way you work in it next year.