Fall Gardening in Zone 5b

For many of us here in NE Ohio (and all throughout US zone 5b), it feels like the gardening season is pretty much over for 2011.  There are several activities that still can be done, however, when we find ourselves delighting in some of the last sunny and warm(ish) days before winter hits.

Planting:
Fall is actually *the* time of year for planting garlic in zone 5b.  Check your local nursery for bulbs.  Look for bulbs that are firm and not discolored.  (They should be nice and white with possible red or purple streaking at the top, depending on the variety.)  Any black speckling indicates mold, which should be avoided.

Plant according to package directions.  Break bulb into cloves and plant each clove approximately three inches deep.  Leave about six inches between each clove.  Next summer your shoots will emerge and look similar to green onions.  Wait till they die back in late summer before harvesting.

There are several types of garlic to plant--soft neck is the kind most of us buy at the supermarket.  The cloves are smaller but there are more per bulb.  Hard neck varieties have a stiff shoot and produce fewer but larger cloves.  There are usually six to eight per bulb, but they are firm and big.  Hard neck varieties tend to be a bit milder in flavor, too.  The final variety you might want to try is elephant garlic.  The bulbs are large in size (hence the name "elephant"), and they are even more mild in flavor than hard neck varieties. 

You might also try some cold-hardy vegetables for fall planting.  Spinach, chinese cabbage, corn salad (aka Mache), and beets are some of the most popular.  Look for varieties with shorter growth seasons (days to maturity) listed on the seed packages.  You can also use cold frames or row covers to lengthen your growing season.

Mulching:
This is also the time to start mulching perennial plants like roses and mums.  The falling leaves are a perfect and FREE option.  In the spring, they can be removed and added to the compost heap.

Overwintering Indoors:
There are several plants that we treat as annuals in this area but they are in fact tender perennials.  One of my favorite herbs, rosemary, is one such plant.  Last summer, I bought a small plug of rosemary in a quart container.  It grew happily in my kitchen herb bed throughout the summer, and then last fall, I dug it up and put it in a pot with potting soil.  It spent all winter in a west-facing window in my pantry and did pretty well, despite some neglect from me (with three small children, I don't always water my plants as freqently as I should).  Come spring, I transplanted my rosemary back into the ground.  It thrived being outside again for the summer.  Just last week, I dug it out and stuck it back into a pot with good quality potting soil.  Here's hoping for another year with my little rosemary plant . . . .

Ornamentals will often do well with this indoor overwintering method--new guinea impatiens, lantana, and fuschia are just a few that I have personally had success with.

We often take our tropical houseplants outside during the summer to let them get some fresh air and sunlight, but we don't always think of bringing our landscaping or gardening plants indoors for winter.  If you have room, this is a fun project that can save you money next spring . . . .