November Gardening

The "official word" from the University of Arizona College Agriculture and Life Sciences - November.

As with last month, I'm going to bold the things I'm planting. Everything will be planted from seed.

S = Seed
T = Transplant

November 1st to November 15th:

• Asparagus T
• Beets ("Crosby" 45 days "Chioggia" 55 days Heirloom Varieties)
  
• Bok Choy ("Ching Chang" 45 days I've never planted Bok Choy before)
  
• Broccoli TS ("Early Dividend" 43 days F1 Hybrid)
  
• Brussels Sprouts T ("Bubbles" 88 days F1 Hybrid - whoops, only supposed to plant transplants! I'm only a few days past the end of October though, so I'm going for it anyway.)
  
• Cabbage TS ("Golden Acre" 55 days)
  
• Cabbage, Chinese TS
• Carrots ("Mokum" 54 days F1 Hybrid)
  
• Cauliflower TS ("Early Snowball" 55 days)
  
• Chard TS ("Bright Lights" 57 days Heirloom Variety)
  
• Collard Greens
• Endive
• Kale ("Konserva" 50 days Heirloom Variety)
  
• Kohlrabi TS
• Lettuce, Head TS
• Lettuce, Leaf TS ("Pinetree Lettuce Mix" 40 days and "Tom Thumb" 47 days Heirloom Varieties)
  
• Mustard
• Onions, Bulb
• Onions, Green
• Peas ("Knight Pea" 56 days Heirloom Variety)
  
• Radishes ("Cherry Belle" 21 days Heirloom Variety)
  
• Rutabagas
• Spinach ("Bloomsdale Long Standing" 42 days Heirloom Variety)
  
• Turnips ("Purple Top White Globe" 58 days Heirloom Variety)
  

Celery ("Utah" 100 days) is supposed to be planted by the end of October, but I'm going to try it anyway.

November 16th through 30th:

• Asparagus T
• Beets
• Bok Choy
• Broccoli TS
• Brussel Sprouts T
• Cabbage TS
• Cabbage, Chinese TS
• Carrots
• Cauliflower TS
• Chard TS
• Collard Greens
• Kale
• Kohlrabi TS
• Lettuce, Head TS
• Lettuce, Leaf TS
• Mustard
• Onions, Green
• Peas
• Radishes
• Rutabagas
• Spinach
• Turnips

And now I need to get out to my garden and get things started. The new bed is ready, since the gophers have taken over my garden we are trying a new technique which involves a pallet with the bottom lined with wire to hopefully keep the gophers out. I need to put the watering system together, and then I'll be able to plant the seeds.

Here's the current temp:

Until next time.

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October Gardening

Winter is the main planting season in the desert! It's finally starting to cool down so it's easier to get out there and work in the garden. I would love to plant every thing on the list I'm including below, but I know from past experience it's best to pick a few things and be successful, than to try to plant everything and become overwhelmed. In case you'd like more of an authority on the topic, check out the University of Arizona College Agriculture and Life Sciences. This link goes directly to October.

I'm going to bold the vegetables I will definitely be planting. I'm going to make the ones I'd like to plant green bold.

October 1 through 15:

• Beets
• Bok Choy
• Broccoli TS
• Brussels Sprouts TS
• Cabbage TS
• Cabbage, Chinese TS
• Carrots
• Cauliflower TS
• Celery TS
• Chard TS
• Collard Greens
• Endive
• Garlic
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Lettuce, Head TS
• Lettuce, Leaf TS
• Leek
• Mustard
• Onions, Bulb
• Onions, Green
• Parsnips
• Peas
• Radishes
• Rutabagas
• Spinach
• Turnips
  

October 16 through 31:

• Beets
• Bok Choy
• Broccoli TS
• Brussels Sprouts TS
• Cabbage TS
• Cabbage, Chinese TS
• Carrots
• Cauliflower TS
• Celery TS
• Chard TS
• Collard Greens
• Endive
• Garlic
• Kale
• Kohlrabi TS
• Lettuce, Head TS
• Lettuce, Leaf TS
• Mustard
• Onions, Bulb
• Onions, Green
• Parsnips
• Peas
• Radishes
• Rutabagas
• Spinach
• Turnips
  

My favorite place to order seeds is Pinetree Seeds. I like their prices (they are inexpensive in comparison to other seed companies) and their shipping is reasonable, too.

I am a little discouraged as I discovered there is a gopher hole in my garden, right in the middle of it.

I am planning to make another pot of Weed Soup tomorrow. The last of it was finished off today. I will use more purslane as it was really delicious in the soup, thankfully there is plenty in my garden.

There is one more weed in my garden that I have not yet positively identified. I think it could be Lambs Quarters, but I'm not sure. Weeds of the West is my favorite book to help me identify weeds. I bought it several years ago to help identify which weeds on our property can be safely eaten by our goats, and which are toxic. It is helpful to look through the book to see if I can find the weed I am looking for - there are photos of the plant in various stages. After I think I know what the weed is, I search the Internet for more information. I will not eat the weed unless I am positive of its identification. Here is a site that can help determine whether a weed is safe to eat.



One thing that is really interesting to me is there are some weeds I have known about since I was a child. It has been really neat to learn their names.

Until next time.

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