Late Fall Gardening

Late November harvest of bell peppers

I know the posts have been fewer this month, but I've been busy actually doing all the things I described earlier.  That's a lot to do, and in much shorter days!  It's a real relief as I finish up each task, and can look around to see that I'm getting things buttoned down for the coming winter.

Now that we've had the time change from Daylight Savings Time, it's getting dark by the time I get home, so I have very little garden time except on the weekends.


I still need to finish raking leaves this weekend, and move the last flower pots into the garage.  If it's warm enough to paint, I'd like to get another coat of paint on a few places on my house as well.

The photo above shows the final harvest of bell peppers from the plants I'd been protecting with a sheet of heavy plastic.  The frosts finally got too cold for that protection to be enough, and the plants are gone now.  But those last couple of weeks did let me get a few more peppers!  The peas and parsley in another bed are still thriving under their plastic, and the lettuce had been coming along just fine with no protection except a wind block on the north.

I am setting up a cold frame in a sheltered location, and hope to start some lettuce in it this weekend.  I will be interested to see how much of the winter lettuce will grow in it.

In the pop-up greenhouse, the basil died during the last few cold nights, but the parsley, rosemary, petunias, and mint seem to be fine. I use several dark-painted water containers in this greenhouse to collect solar energy during the day to help keep it warmer. The interior north wall is covered with reflective panels of light insulation. I recently read of using a bird-bath heater in a covered container of water to keep a cold frame warm, and have been pondering on whether that might be useful here as well.

I'd love to hear of what low-cost season-extending strategies other gardeners use.