The Modern Victory Garden

Many people view October as the month where their garden comes to an end for yet another season.   In some respects this is indeed a time where plants complete their annual cycle and either die or go dormant.   However, as I stand in the fall garden (dressed in layers to keep the damp chill from seeping in) I see the foundation of next year's garden.   October is a perfect time to improve soil structure, return depleted nutrients, and encourage minerals in the soil to become more readily available to plants.   Nature uses this time to do the same thing as well.   Leaves fall and litter the forest floor.   There they molder and decompose through the damp winter and spring - producing rich humousy soil that sustains the diversity of life that grows there.   Taking a cue from nature, if my garden beds are not in production with fall and winter crops then they are either planted up in a green manure crop or layered in a deep blanket of rough finished compost.                  

Fall is a great time to create new compost piles as well.   The last lawn mowing of the year, fall leaves, and the garden clean up debris all combine to provide a really wonderful mixture of compostable materials.   The leaves have yet to really get falling but the garden debris from pulling down the vine crops and spent bush beans have helped to finish filling two of the wire compost bins.   There are more vines to come and the fall leaves combined with them will fill another full bin once the trees have finished their annual drop.   Today I emptied out the compost bin that was assembled late last fall - comprised largely of last year's leaves, lawn clippings, and some kitchen and garden debris.   Generally, since I do not constantly turn my compost piles, it takes approximately one year from full assembly until I have a pile of good rough finished compost.                                   

This bin is now empty and ready for the current year's leaves and final garden clean up debris.   The compost from this single bin supplied a heavy layer that was placed on the oldest vertical grow bed.                   

This bed is largely empty now with the exception of some celery and some swiss chard (recently harvested so they do not show very well in this picture).   In addition, there was enough compost from this single bin to also heavily layer two of the large beds in the newer section of the garden.   The compost was dumped into the beds using a wheelbarrow and then spread with a pitchfork.      

Next spring, I will use the broad fork to loosen and aerate the soil, add some organic fertilizer, and then lightly cultivate the top few inches to mix and break up the soil - preparing the bed for another year of high production.    Since these two large beds are new, they will benefit greatly from the large addition of organic matter.   They were double dug and amended this spring with compost and rock minerals but it takes several years of organic investment in garden soil to bring it up to a truly high performing status and health.                                                         

Rather than view October as the end of the garden season, I see it as the start of the coming year's garden cycle.   What steps are you taking this fall to improve your soil?