Final harvest and cool-weather vegetables:
With the first frost typically occurring in late October, Thanksgiving is your last chance to harvest frost-tolerant vegetables.
- Harvest these crops for your Thanksgiving meal or to preserve for winter:
- Kale
- Collards
- Spinach
- Swiss Chard
- Carrots and parsnips (they can be sweeter after a light frost)
- Beets
- Turnips
- Protect crops like beets, carrots, and Swiss chard with a heavy row cover to extend the harvest season, potentially until Christmas.
Winter garden preparation and care:
As the growing season ends, several tasks are essential for putting your garden to bed and setting it up for success next spring.
- Clean up beds. Remove old or diseased vegetable plants to clear space and prevent pests and diseases from overwintering.
- Add compost. Top-dress your beds with compost to build soil health and nutrients for the next season.
- Plant cover crops. For any exposed soil, planting a cover crop like winter wheat or rye will protect and enrich the soil throughout the winter.
- Mulch. Applying a 2–3 inch layer of mulch is recommended. This will insulate plant roots, prevent erosion, and retain moisture. Call Payne’s Organic Soil Yard for recommendations at 505-424-0336.
- Protect new plantings. Water new trees and shrubs thoroughly after planting and apply mulch around the base. Continue watering during dry or windy spells until the ground freezes.