Hi from Denver Colorado!

Hi and thanks for all the great things I have already learned by reading on the boards for awhile!

My kids and I (5, 6 & 8 years old) did our first SFG this year and it was a blast! It kind of got out of hand when the pole beans climbed the corn and between them and the dipper gourds, they basically took over the garden, but we still got lots of yummy things to eat and were able to put up bread and butter pickles, eat LOTS of green beans and have beets, carrots, edamame, acorn and butternut squash plus herbs to eat.

Trying to figure out what to do now for the winter here in zone five. I would love to put in garlic, leeks, onions, and winter greens, etc....but don't know if I am too late to plant? Do I have to have a cover of some kind (not happening this year) or will they make it on their own? Do I need to put down a good layer of compost and cover with plastic...I just really have no idea where to go right now! And I read that I need to water...of course...but how do you all do that when any hoses left out freeze solid?!?! Do you hand water?

Feeling like I want to give up and maybe do it next year, but don't really want to give up, just because I am not sure about what to do....any ideas? :idea:

Oh, you seasoned gardeners will get a kick out of this! All through the end of the summer, I was cutting this gorgeous parsley for things I was cooking, and was so proud of my garden...come to find out last week, when I went to pull it all before the first freeze, that I had been adding carrot tops to all my recipes!! I guess it helps to actually look at the planting grid sometimes, eh?!

Greetings trinabambina, welcome to the forum! and congratulations on your first year of SFG'ing!

It was mine too, and I also had a blast. Pole beans are pretty aggressive, aren't they?? So much fun. I am STILL shucking mine, lol.

For winter greens and so forth: It's only seed, so why not give it a try? I am going to be planting onions and garlic on towards Thanskgiving (I already put in a few) but I am in a warmer zone than you are. Maybe someone more familiar with your area can help out. I am just going to plant it. If I haven't shut off my hoses by then, I'll give them some water, otherwise I'll just let them be.

I'm in zone 5a and the only thing I have in the garden that I expect to live through the harsh 4-5 month winter that we can have here is garlic. I may try some of those potato onions.
I have a covered bed that I seeded a month ago with spring onion, spinach, black seeded simpson lettuce and radishes. I expect that bed to be done within the month, I may be able to stretch it into December (fingers crossed).

I will seed my leeks, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage and kale indoors in March for outdoor placement in late April when the soil has loosened up.

This Autumn I will be clearing out the beds of all leftover debris and add compost, mix it in the box with my garden fork and let it rest. I will not be covering the boxes.

You do not need to water your garden in winter unless you are going to be ice skating on it.

Take a look at this book. http://desertverde.com/2010/02/16/solar-gardening/ Solar Gardening. When I was 13 my dad took me to the Poisson's home in March and their gardens were so productive and amazing.

Now THAT's an idea! Ice skating! The kids would just love that! And we could build a ramp off the high end and build a circuit....oh, the creative juices are flowing now!!

Welcome to the forum. I'm a first year SFG'r too & I have had so much fun with it. I tell DH quite often how much I have enjoyed my garden & all the work he did for me. Good luck with fall planting, but as mentioned, it's only seed & would be worth a try. I personally wouldn't buy "expensive" garlic from the seed houses, if I doubted it would make it thru the winter, but you could try grocery store garlic.

Again, welcome.

From what I've read here, grocery store garlic is often treated so as not to sprout (can someone verify?) but it's worth a shot!

Potatoes are usually treated, but not garlic, at least not in our area. I have a big patch of it I planted this summer & it's growing great. I picked out some huge ones at Walmart, but don't know what variety they are. I meant not getting the "expensive" kind as in 8.95 a lb. I also ordered from We Grow Garlic since they sell by the bulb. There's a long thread somewhere here, but I didn't search.

[quote="trinabambina"]Hi and thanks for all the great things I have already learned by reading on the boards for awhile!

Howdy Trina and a great big Welcome to the Forum.

My kids and I (5, 6 & 8 years old) did our first SFG this year and it was a blast!

It is so great when the kids are involved and enjoy the garden.

And I read that I need to water...of course...but how do you all do that when any hoses left out freeze solid?!?! Do you hand water?

If you need to water, the hose can be drained by running the hose down hill until the last of the water has drained out and then the hose can be rolled up and put away. Generally in winter we water well a couple of days before a hard freeze and then cover with mulch. Seems to work.

Feeling like I want to give up and maybe do it next year, but don't really want to give up, just because I am not sure about what to do....any ideas? :idea:

Don't give up. Plant something, anything and see what happens. Seed is cheap.

Oh, you seasoned gardeners will get a kick out of this!

I was eating my salad at work which was made from the lettuce, carrots, spinach, tomatoes and cabbage from the garden when a very colorful leaf showed up. It turned out to be a small maple leaf with bright reds and yellows. Yep, I ate it too!

God Bless, Ward and Mary.

trinabambina wrote:
Oh, you seasoned gardeners will get a kick out of this! All through the end of the summer, I was cutting this gorgeous parsley for things I was cooking, and was so proud of my garden...come to find out last week, when I went to pull it all before the first freeze, that I had been adding carrot tops to all my recipes!! I guess it helps to actually look at the planting grid sometimes, eh?!

Do you by any chance have a sister living in Idaho named Middlemama? (Love ya', Jennie.)

Welcome to the forum, Trinabambina. It sounds as though you did great for your first year.