ORGANICFARM.S2 vanmullekom.  Fred, deputy director of the Virginia Living Museum, and wife Whitney have a two-acre organic garden in Suffolk  where they grow a wide variety of vegetables, cut flowers and fruits – many of which are heirloom varieties. Most of the plants come from seeds started in greenhouses at their Hilton home. Fred and Whitney garden and live green (rain barrels, compost bins,  canning, etc.).  Fred was responsible for the Living Green exhibit at the VLM and he is a member of the area Green Building Council. We tour the farm and share their vision and gardening tips with readers.

Info: Fred’s tips

ORGANICFARM.S2 vanmullekom.  Fred, deputy director of the Virginia Living Museum, and wife Whitney have a two-acre organic garden in Suffolk  where they grow a wide variety of vegetables, cut flowers and fruits – many of which are heirloom varieties. Most of the plants come from seeds started in greenhouses at their Hilton home. Fred and Whitney garden and live green (rain barrels, compost bins,  canning, etc.).  Fred was responsible for the Living Green exhibit at the VLM and he is a member of the area Green Building Council. We tour the farm and share their vision and gardening tips with readers.

Info: Fred’s tips

Dressed in blue jeans and short-sleeve cotton shirts, wet grass clippings caked on their shoes, Whitney and Fred Farris look comfortable and relaxed as they stroll their family farm, a 300-acre elongated point of lush land on the Nansemond River in Suffolk.

The farm is where the couple spends weekends and many vacation days, tending to more than a dozen beds of various sizes they’ve created on two acres.

Collectively, their plantings are called Long Point Gardens.

Organic gardeners for decades, they prefer the aromas of aged compost and ripening heirloom vegetables and fruits instead of the smells of gas fumes from traffic along city streets. They dig many beds by hand, and Fred fashions trellises, pergolas and fences from fallen branches and sticks. Tools are kept in a vintage corn crib, which is now officially their gardening shed.

“We have been organically gardening together even before our marriage on a North Carolina organic farm in 1980,” says Fred, deputy director of the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News since 1999. Many of Fred’s conservation ideas have been incorporated into programs at the museum, including the Living Green exhibit with a green roof, rain barrels, compost system, energy-conserving tips and earth-friendly building methods and products, according to Christine Lewis, museum education director, and other staff members. Fred is also a member of the area Green Building Council.

“The physical gardening work is not really work but fulfilling exercise that has made us both healthier. Being outdoors and tending the garden is invigorating and fun,” he says.

After restoring the farmhouse on the Suffolk property from 1980 to 1983, they moved to Hilton Village to raise a family.

“We wanted to be near neighbors and for our kids to walk to school,” adds Whitney, who teaches at nearby Hilton Presbyterian Preschool.

Although the couple gardens at the farm, their crops begin at their city home. Seeds are started on heat mats under grow lights, and then the seedlings are transferred to a small backyard greenhouse before transplanted into Suffolk soil.

The list of vegetables, fruits and flowers they grow for personal use and for gift-giving reads like a gardening catalog — four kinds of pumpkins, six kinds of gourds, three kinds of musk melons and two kinds of watermelons. Zebra, Dancer and Black Beauty are their favorite eggplants; Romano, fava and regular snaps are their preferred beans. Spring and fall gardens include cabbages, kales, mustards, broccoli, kohlrabi, collards, peas and cilantro.

Tomato varieties they can whole and also make into pesto and salsa include Cherokee Purple, Green Zebra (winner of the 2011 Monticello tomato-testing contest, says Fred), German Riesentraube, Italian San Marzano, Sun Gold, plus Tomatillos.

Flower crops that benefit pollinators include zinnia, coneflower, black-eyed Susan, yarrow, lemon basil, sweet pea, bachelor buttons, butterfly bush, agastache, mountain mint, statice, strawflowers, larkspur, ageratum, amaranthus, cleome, sunflowers, hyacinth beans (seeds from Monticello), white dill (Ammi from The Gardener’s Workshop in Newport News), celosia, Sweet William and phlox.

“We provided all the cut flowers for our daughter’s wedding on the property in 2008,” says Fred.

“We provide yearly about half our family’s food needs through this garden and share additional produce and flowers with family and friends.”

The couple sticks to strict organic techniques using horse manure and bedding from a nearby farm to establish compost beds that fertilize the gardens. Dormant oil helps control insect issues on fruit and nut trees — apple, pear, plums, figs, pomegranate, cherry, pecan, English walnut, persimmon, apricot, trifoliate orange, Chinese chestnut and hazelnut. They harvest two kinds of kiwi — fuzzy and smooth Russian, both cold hardy in Hampton Roads.

They hand weed, mulch extensively and grow cover crops such as crimson clover, buckwheat and wheat during winter to improve soil conditions for upcoming plantings. No pesticides or commercial fertilizers are used, and limited botanical sprays and soaps eliminates most pests on other plants.

SPRINGVILLE — Ken Brown of Toronto, a horticulturist who landscaped exhibits at the Toronto Zoo, will be the featured speaker at the fall fair on Saturday, Sept. 8 at Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark St., Hamburg.

Brown shared a few tips on putting the garden to bed. He will speak about growing plants from seeds.

Incidentally, there are two well-known Ken Browns in local gardening circles. Ken Brown of Buffalo is the host of the Home Garden Show that runs on Saturday mornings at 11 a.m. on WBEN.

The Ken Brown who will be speaking at Lockwood’s lives outside Toronto. His exhibits are housed inside pavilions at the Toronto Zoo, so proper climate conditions can be maintained. Brown used his experience creating those indoor exhibits and went on to operate an interior landscaping firm.

Brown has also done some outside commercial work and, for a number of years, grew vegetables on his one acre of land in Whitby, to feed his family. His children have grown up and left home, but he said he has still not cut his gardens back.

Brown shared some tips on putting gardens to bed. The biggest thing people have to remember is that gardening doesn’t end at this time of year, he explained.

“I’m still planting Brussels sprouts in late November,” he said. “There’s so much yet to do.”

Begin cleaning up the garden later in the fall. The garden will let you know when it is time to begin.

“Clean plants up when they look dead,” Brown said. “As things turn yellow and fall over, you can cut them down. When they quit, clean them up.”

Since different varieties of plants end their growing seasons at different times, space out the work.

“You can putter away at it,” Brown said. “It’s not as if one weekend you have to go out and put the whole garden to bed.”

Clean up dead plants to prevent pests from spreading. For example, the iris borer’s eggs survive on dead iris leaves, so get those out of your garden to control that pest. Zucchini tends to get mildewed leaves so, if those leaves remain, the mildew spores will be right in your garden soil.

Do not put those leaves in your compost. Instead, gather them up, put them in a bag and throw them away.

If your town or city gathers up lawn clippings, those leaves will go to a composting facility. However, those composting facilities are much bigger and hotter than a home compost pile and will probably be enough to kill harmful pests.

Leaves are good mulch for garden beds. Brown said that he allows leaves from apple trees to remain in his garden. “I even steal them from my neighbors,” he said. “They make wonderful mulch. And maple leaves in a vegetable garden are highly unlikely to hurt anything.”

In his talk, Brown will explain which leaves should be raked out and which should be raked into your garden.

Autumn is a great time to prepare for next year, not just cleaning up dead plants, but planting new things, too.

“This is a wonderful time to plant deciduous shrubs and trees,” Brown said. “They have a chance to put good roots into the cool soil.

“Nurseries have them on sale, too. They’re less expensive and it’s the perfect time of year to plant them. The nurseries would rather sell them now than go to the trouble of having to overwinter them, so you’re doing them a favor, when you buy them. It’s a win-win for both sides.”

Autumn is also the perfect time to plant bulbs, according to Brown.

“Buy a bunch of bulbs and put them to bed and they’ll reward you in the spring,” he said. “Don’t forget that there are bulbs other than tulips and daffodils.”

Snow drops are the earliest to bloom, as the snow recedes.

Another very early bloomer is the bulbus iris, an iris that grows from a bulb, rather than a rhizome. It blooms a week ahead of the crocus.

Still another pretty spring bulb is puschkinia.

You can learn more about these topics by attending Brown’s talks at Lockwood’s Fall Fair on Sept. 8 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at Lockwood’s Greenhouses, 4484 Clark St., Hamburg.

Other great classes will also be held, that day. While admission to the fair is free, there are charges for the classes. Pre-register at Lockwood’s, by calling 649-4684 or by visiting www.weknowplants.com. The website also includes the full schedule for the day.

The fair will include more than 24 local vendors and artisans offering garden art, jewelry, nature-themed décor, gifts, pottery, props and tools.

Connie Oswald Stofko is publisher of Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com, the online gardening magazine for Western New York. Email Connie@BuffaloNiagaraGardening.com.

There are many reasons to garden, perhaps none greater than the enhanced taste fresh produce gives. Vegetables planted now will begin to yield during the fall and many will grace the table on Thanksgiving Day.

Seeds for most vegetables are available in hardware and garden stores. Some of the more popular vegetables for fall include broccoli, cabbage, carrots, collards, kale, lettuce, onions, English peas and pole beans. A more complete listing of cool-season vegetables may be found in the University of Florida’s “Vegetable Gardening in Florida,” available at ifasbooks.com.

Vegetable gardening requires a commitment if it is to be successful. Gardeners must make time to check the garden daily for soil moisture, potential problems from weeds, insects and diseases and harvest produce at its peak.

Good soil is a basic requirement for successful gardening. Good soils can overcome a lot of mistakes and may be improved over the years by adding materials that will increase microbes and earthworm activity. Garden vegetables perform best at a pH of 6.0-6.5, and a soil test at the outset of the garden project is an important step in determining whether special amendments are required to maximize production.

The University of Florida offers a very thorough soil test for gardeners for $7, and test kits may be obtained at the local extension office.

Preparation of the seed bed is an important next step in gardening. For those who solarized soils following the spring vegetable garden, it will probably only be necessary to remove the plastic. If solarization was not employed, begin by removing any weeds from the site, then till the soil to result in a fine seedbed. Some gardeners elect to add organic matter or compost to enhance soil quality. In this case, tilling the matter into the soil would be recommended.

Place seeds in straight, shallow rows — about a quarter-inch deep for small seeds and one-half-inch deep for larger seeds. Consult the seed package for recommendations on spacing between rows and spacing between individual seeds. Monitor rainfall and soil moisture carefully and supplement as needed. Ideally, one-quarter inch of water is needed daily through seed germination. As we move further into fall and temperatures drop, less water will be required and it will become necessary to water only every other day. Some vegetables perform best on a trellis system and a panel of hogwire or a short section of no-climb field fencing will enhance production of vegetables such as English peas and pole beans.

Winter annual weeds will begin to germinate as temperatures fall. Monitor your garden and remove weeds, as these compete with vegetables for water and nutrients.

Scout regularly for insect activity and control them early to minimize damage. Remember to check the underside of leaves because many of these harbor whiteflies, aphids and other leaf-feeding insects. In September, use soaps to control most insect pests. As temperatures fall to daytime highs under 85 degrees, oils may be used in addition to soap products. Diseases in the fall garden are minimized with the advent of cooler temperatures, particularly night temperatures.

Diseases occur on roots and stems, leaves and fruit and vary depending on the vegetable class, soil condition, moisture, humidity and other factors. Fungicides are available for a broad spectrum of disease problems, but the important factors in disease management are prevention (selecting well-drained soil and not over-watering), regular scouting for early control, sanitation — removal of diseased plants — and proper identification of the disease.

Contact your Extension office for help in identifying specific disease problems.

David Holmes is Marion County extension director. Contact him at david.holmes@marioncountyfl.org.

How to raise chickens: Lissa McMeeken of Twin Lakes Farm will give a workshop on how to start a chicken coop, noon-1 p.m. Sept. 4 at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, 6500 S. New Hope Road, Belmont. The workshop is free with garden admission. Admission is free for members and $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and $6 for ages 4-12 for nonmembers. Guests should bring a bag lunch. For details visit www.dsbg.org or call 704-825-4490.

Gaston County Library exhibits: The Gaston County Public Library will feature new exhibits at several of its branches this month. The exhibits are free and open to the public during regular library hours. All exhibits run Sept. 4-29. For details about library exhibits, call 704-868-2164/Dial 4 or visit www.gastonlibrary.org.

The exhibits for September are as follows:

Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory: Civil War 150- N.C. Department of Cultural Resources touring photography exhibit. Main Branch, 1555 E. Garrison Blvd., Gastonia. Details: 704-868-2164 / Dial 4.

U.S. Constitution: Provided by the Major William Chronicle Chapter /National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Main Branch, 1555 E. Garrison Blvd., Gastonia. Details: 704-868-2164 / Dial 4.

U.S. Constitution: Provided by the William Gaston Chapter/National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Belmont Branch Library, 125 N. Central Ave., Belmont. Details: 704-825-5426.

Gems and minerals: Collection on loan from Gaston County Gem, Mineral and Faceters Club. Dallas Branch Library, 105 S. Holland St., Dallas. Details: 704-922-3621.

Artist books: Mount Holly Branch Library, 245 W. Catawba Ave., Mount Holly. Details: 704-827-3581.

Original artwork by David McGuire: Stanley Branch Library, 205 Peterson St., Stanley. Details: 704-263-4166.

Traditional Appalachian baskets: Union Road Branch Library, 5800 Union Road, Gastonia. Details: 704-825-5426.

Australian rock paintings: Australian performer and educator Paul Taylor will present “Land of the Lightning Brothers ,” a multimedia presentation about the 8,000-year-old rock paintings, stories, music and history of the Wardaman People of Australia’s Northern Territory, at 2 p.m. Sept. 22 in the auditorium at the Gaston County Public Library, Main Branch, 1555 E. Garrison Blvd., Gastonia.

The presentation is free and open to school-age children and adults. Reservations are required for organized groups. For details or to make group reservations, call 704-868-2164 / Dial 3. For handicap accommodation, call 704-868-2164 / Dial 4 at least five days before the event.

Coffee with the Curator: Curator Stephanie Elliott will identify and provide help with preservation of objects brought in by visitors during the Coffee with the Curator program 10:30-11:30 a.m. Sept. 5 at the Gaston County Museum of Art and History, 131 W. Main St., Dallas.

Visitors should bring photographs of large objects. During the program, object donations to the museum will be considered. No appointment is needed. The program is free and open to the public. There is a three-item limit per person. No monetary appraisals will be done. For details call 704-922-7681 or visit www.gastoncountymuseum.org.

Training certification: The Gaston County Police Department 911 Communications Center was recently awarded Project 33 Training Program Certification by the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials. Gaston County is the third dispatch agency in North Carolina and one of only 26th nationally to achieve this certification.

Certification recognizes that the agency meets the training requirements for call-takers and dispatchers of law enforcement, fire service and Emergency Medical Service first responders; along with organizational integrity, general knowledge and skills, equipment and technology and general professional competence.

Lincoln County

Regional art competition: The Paul C. Rhyne Art Competition is accepting entries of original two- and three-dimensional artwork. The show will run Oct. 1-28 in the galleries of the Lincoln Cultural Center. An awards presentation and opening reception for artists and the public will be held 6:30-8 p.m. Oct. 5at the Lincoln Cultural Center, 403 E. Main St., Lincolnton.

Artists must be age 18 or older. Each artist may enter two pieces of work. Entry fee is $15 per entry. Work will be accepted 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. Sept. 24 –28 in the galleries of the Lincoln Cultural Center. For details and entry forms, contact the Arts Council at 704-732-9044.

Kings Mountain

Church history exhibit: The exhibit “Go Tell It on the Mountain: The Churches of Kings Mountain” is on display until Sept. 8 at the Kings Mountain Historical Museum, 100 E. Mountain St., Kings Mountain. The exhibit features artifacts and photographs from local churches to trace the growth of organized religion in the area. The museum is open 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. For details, call 704-739-1019 or visit www.kingsmountianmuseum.org.

Raffle and auction fundraiser: The Kings Mountain Historical Museum will host their Annual Reverse Raffle and Auctions fundraiser at 6 p.m. Sept. 15 at the American Legion, 155 York Road, Kings Mountain. Local band Harvest will perform.

Tickets are $100 per couple and include dinner and entry in the raffle for the grand prize of $10,000. Every 10th ticket drawn will win a door prize. For details, call 704-739-1019 or visit www.kingsmountainmuseum.org.

Compiled by Gina Smith

“Life,” I Wrote

Life Editor Ivan Lajara talks about living in the Hudson Valley, language, the Web, cats and even politics. But he shouldn’t.

Getting your little ones out into the garden over the summer isn’t a difficult task – with paddling pools up, outdoor toys out and barbeques planned, it can often be harder to get them to come back inside.

But with their fun and games comes the toll on your garden, as the lawn is flooded with pool water and potted plants are used as goalposts.

Forget resigning yourself to just replica plants in the house, if you’ve got more toys on your lawn than flowers in your flowerbeds, it might be time to convince your kids that growing plants is actually a lot more fun than ripping them up!

Here are ten simple tips to get your kids enjoying gardening.

1. Get them their own tools. One easy way to get your children excited about gardening is to buy them a cheap set of colourful kid’s tools. Most sets include a miniature trowel, fork and spade or rake that are designed for little hands and are safe for them to use, so you won’t worry about them having any accidents.
2. Give them a patch to garden in. Being able to tend to their own little area of garden is great fun for little ones, as well as teaching them responsibility. Let them choose the plants they want to grow (a little advising might be needed!) and encourage them to tend to it a little each day after school.
3. Grow fruit and veg. Growing foods is particularly rewarding for kids, as they watch the plants flourish and the harvest take shape. It also has the benefit of broadening their knowledge of where our food comes from, as well as getting them to try different vegetables.
4. Let them loose with the hose. Is there anything kids like more than mucking around in water on a hot day? Pop them in a bathing suit and let them water the garden – and in between the water fights you might even be able to explain to them why plants need water in the first place!
5. Find those creepy crawlies. It will come to no surprise to most parents that kids are a bit obsessed with crawlies. Dig for worms and track snails, while letting your little one know which are ‘good’ bugs and which are ‘bad’.
6. Create a butterfly garden. Every child is fascinated with butterflies, so help them plant an area of the garden with plants that attract them, like lavender and snapdragons.
7. Create a compost heap. A compost heap can be a cool project for slightly older kids, as they get to witness the chemical reactions during decomposition that make the heap hot and steamy, and learn about the ‘cycle of life’!
8. Prune away! All children love the satisfaction of cutting things up, so arm older ones with a small pair of secateurs and some kid-sized gardening gloves and set them on a bush. Make sure you supervise to avoid injuries (or your favourite shrub being reduced to just the roots).
9. Hold a weeding competition. Weeding is no one’s favourite activity, but you can make it fun for kids. Simply set a time span, give them a pair of gloves, and let them pull away – whoever gets the most weeds pulled up wins. Just make sure that they’re not pulling up any plants you don’t want them to, or anything that might hurt them, like brambles or stinging nettles.
10. Make weed soup. With all those weeds you’ve pulled up, why not get your little one to help you stick them all in a bucket or large plastic rubbish bin, cover them with water and leave them to steep for a few days. This makes a great fertiliser, and while your kid is busy brewing the concoction you can explain the benefits of feeding plants.

Do you have any more tips to get your kids gardening? Let us know in the comments!

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Estelle Page is a keen gardener who is also mum to two tearaways! She is on a mission to keep our kids occupied and our gardens looking great – though if you haven’t got ‘free labour’, then she recommends Ambius to look after your plants instead. Image source.

Tags: gardening, kids

Summer is coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean that it’s time to give up on gardening just yet.

Now is the time to start growing cool weather crops – flowers and food – and preparing your yard and garden for winter.

Preparation for winter is key to cutting back on unnecessary work and for having a successful garden and beautiful yard in the spring.

Here are some tips for getting your end of the summer growth under control, and what to plant, when and where.

1. Clean and weed
Even before all the leaves have fallen, begin raking them up and readying them for either your compost or for mulch. Pile up dead plants from the garden, ones that may be exhausted from bearing fruits or veggies and any flowers or bushes that need cut back. Make sure to separate and get rid of anything that might seem diseased and any weeds you don’t want popping up from the compost you use next year on your garden.

2. Plant for the present
Once the heat has given up, it’s perfect weather to begin planting your fall flowers. Pansies work great in cooler weather and will bloom even until colder months, like December. You can also begin planting cool weather vegetables, like greens. 

3. Plant for the future
It’s also the right time to begin planting your bulbs and seeds for spring. Bulbs are best when they’ve “hibernated” throughout the weather, with at least one good freeze to get them into dormant stage.

Fall also boasts perfect conditions for sowing hardier annuals, like cosmos, poppies and larkspur. More often than not, seeds sown in fall and conditioned by a winter freeze will be ready to burst through in the springtime.

4. Plant trees and shrubs
Fall is the time to plant ornamental shrubs and trees, without the worry of summer’s heat. If planted in the early fall, they’ll have time to establish a good root system before winter’s freezing temps arrive.

5. Mulch!
Mulching is the best way to protect your soil and your perennials during the cold weather. Straw or mulched leaves are both good options – you’ll most likely already have the leaves. Cover newly planted bulbs or seeds and build up mulch around tree trunks and shrubs to help protect from freezing weather.

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Twinkle VanWinkle ponders, creates and discovers cool stuff about music, movies, food, fashion and so forth. Her thoughtful writings and interactives give great advice about healthy food, cooking tips, DIY projects, fashion and more. She’ll teach you a thing or two about music as well. Along with producing dynamic entertainment content for LIN Media, she is a mother, musician and social media fanatic.

Instead of banishing their furry friends to the yard, many pet owners are decorating and remodeling their living spaces with their pets’ needs in mind.

Here is how to have a beautiful house and a pet, too:

1. Vacuum regularly.

Even if you match your chaise to your Siamese so perfectly the hairballs are barely visible, vacuum kitty’s hair off the furniture at least twice a week. You may need to vacuum daily when your pet is shedding.

2. Bathe and groom your pet often.

Keeping your dog or cat clean will help your house stay cleaner, longer. Think of it this way: It’s easier to clean your dog than your upholstery, and it’s usually more fun.

3. Use stain-resistant fabrics.

Forget silk, chintz or the pet-hair magnet known as velvet. Discover the joys of Crypton, a synthetic fabric that’s resistant to stains, smells, bacteria and muddy paws.

4. Put washable fabrics on your bed.

If your dog or cat sleeps with you, there will be accidents. Protect your mattress from the inevitable by covering it with a thick pad. Use cotton sheets in a pattern that can hide pet hair and stains between washings.

5. Skip wall-to-wall carpet.

Carpet absorbs odors, traps pet hair and soaks up inevitable pet-related stains like a sponge.

6. Choose hard-surface floors.

The best floor is ceramic tile, because it’s easy to clean and resistant to any stain an animal can dish out.

7. Set up an animal room near an entry.

If your dog goes outside, make sure he can come back in through a room where he can be cleaned up.

8. Give your pet tidy, attractive treats and toys.

It’s important to give your dog something to chew on, or he might go after a chair leg. No messy pig’s ears or greasy rawhide bones.

9. Match colors to your pet’s fur.

Your pet can be a source of inspiration when choosing colors for your room. Paint a concrete floor the same shade of gray as your cat. Cover your sofa in a honey microfiber that matches your golden retriever.

Courtesy Leanne Potts on HGTV.com

(For thousands of other ideas visit www.hgtv.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)

Q. Do food banks accept donations of excess homegrown produce?

A. There’s often a shortage of fresh vegetables and fruit at food banks; hence any excess produce from home gardeners is greatly appreciated. To find out where, what and when to take produce, visit www.solid-ground.org/Programs/Nutrition/P-Patch/Documents/WhereToDonate.pdf

Lettuce Link/Solid Ground will have a donation booth to collect and deliver donations of fresh produce directly to food banks at the sixth annual Blues for Food Fest, which includes music, dancing, food and children’s activities noon until 9 p.m. Saturday at Magnuson Park 7400 Sand Point Way N.E. Admission is $15 if tickets are purchased in advance at www.brownpapertickets.com or $20 at the door. Children under 12 are admitted free.

If you want to combine plant shopping with donating produce, Molbak’s in Woodinville is accepting homegrown vegetables and herbs during “Share Your Harvest Donation Days” every Saturday through Oct. 13. You don’t need to wash the food, just bag it up and bring it in.

By the way, there’s still time to plant greens, cilantro and beets for a fall harvest. Plant a few extra rows so that neighbors in need can enjoy fresh healthy veggies.

Q. Is it OK to leave carrots in the garden during winter and harvest them as needed?

A. Leaving carrots in the garden over winter is risky. Even if they’re well mulched, extreme cold can do them in. Unless you have well-drained soil, our rainy winters can cause your carrots to rot.

Even if your carrots survive the cold, rainy weather, carrot-rust flies may cause problems. They’re the insect that riddles your carrots with rusty tunnels. If carrot-rust fly is present, most of your crop will be rendered inedible by midwinter.

You’re much better off harvesting and storing carrots using the method my mother-in-law’s family used when she was growing up on the Canadian prairie.

When harvesting, don’t use a spading fork as that might bruise the carrots. Water well, then hand pull, using a trowel if necessary to loosen the soil. Don’t wash the carrots but shake off the excess soil instead. Then twist off the tops, and layer the carrots in sand.

Make sure they’re covered and are not touching each other. Left in a cool dry place, such as an unheated garage, the carrots will keep for up to five months.

Q. I just took out some of my lawn and prepared the soil for a new mixed border. Can I plant it up now or is it better to wait until spring?

A. Fall is a great time to plant anything that’s hardy. Temperatures are moderate, reducing the risk of transplant shock. Mama nature usually helps with the watering, allowing the roots to grow well into fall and enabling the plant to be better prepared for hot, dry conditions when they occur next summer.

Best yet, nurseries often offer plants at incredible savings during fall. Additionally, there are some terrific plant sales coming up where you may find the rare gem that your gardener buddies will ogle over.

The Kabota Garden, Washington Park Arboretum, Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden, Seattle Tilth, Audubon and the Northwest Horticultural Society are just a few of the many organizations that hold outstanding sales in September and October. Find the link to the Miller Library list of plant sales at www.ciscoe.com.

Ciscoe Morris: ciscoe@ciscoe.com; “Gardening with Ciscoe” airs at 10 a.m. Saturdays on KING-TV.