Sunday, November 04, 2007

Doesn't feel like November

Apple from the Chadwick Garden at the Center for Agroecology (UCSC)

The weather is unseasonably warm. Of course this means that with the little bit of early October rains we had, every weed seed is now happily sprouting. I'm not complaining, at least I can do a little weeding in the warm weather and get a head start on the winter rains. Not to mention, I'm putting in my winter crops. I picked up some "Purple Sprouting" broccoli, Walla Walla onions, hollyhocks, and a green globe artichoke. Not to mention scads of chicken manure (which my husband complained all afternoon about the smell.)

Not to mention, I'm concentrating on lots of fava beans for cover crops. I've got to fortify the soil this winter. My summer growing season really stank this year, and I believe it was depleted soil that was the culprit.

4 comments:

LoveAppleFarm said...

Do you think the fava beans will sprout in this cold weather? I thought it was too late. Perhaps I should reconsider, I'd love to get in a couple more cover crops on some of my other beds. I've got a few beds already sown and happily growing with a red mustard cover crop.

CoastalCAGardener said...

My soil temperatures today are 55 degrees. Although I thought that would be too cool, there are more fava beans sprouting.

The ones I put in late October are blooming already. I don't know if I should plough them under or leave them be. Any thoughts?

LoveAppleFarm said...

Unless you need your bed for some winter veggies, I would leave them alone. Just my opinion, though. Can you plough them in? I always end up pulling them up and putting them in my compost pile. I have raised beds, so no ploughing here.

Anonymous said...

"Ploughing" is probably the wrong word. I am also using raised beds. So I guess it would be "chop up and turn under". I've decided to leave them. I'm enjoying the black and white flowers.