The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

EARTH-Now that we're in the thick of November, we are confronted by the turning of the wheel. Daylight savings time has knocked us back an hour. The golden summer days, and the crisp fall air is just about to give way the all-out cold of winter.

Before the holiday season takes hold, gardeners have a few days to put their gardens to bed and prepare for next year.

Saying goodbye to this year's garden makes space for dreaming of the future. Next spring, I'm looking forward to doubling the garden's square footage by using a power tiller to cultivate the back end of the yard.

This year's most successful vegetable crops were peppers (of the anaheim, chocolate, lipstick, and jalapeños varieties), Walla Walla sweet onions, and strawberries. By late summer I had sliced pickled peppers in the fridge, whole ones in the veggie crisper, and a bag full to give the next person who walked by.

For florals I built upon the previous years' sunflower successes and added sunny reggae dahlias and purple prince zinnias, both annuals. The zinnias were tall, hardy and-especially if deadheaded, bloomed all spring and all summer long. They looked lovely as they grew, but didn't do as well cut in a vase. Zinnias will definitely be invited back to next year's garden, but now that I know they're almost four feet tall, will be grown along the back perimeter.

Gardening is definitely a continuing learning experience. This year's big lesson was not to let two viney plants run together. I planted one cucumber start beside four cantaloupe starts. The cucumber grew furiously, covered the cantaloupe and neither really tasted as they were supposed to. The cantaloupes were cucumbery and the cucumbers varied greatly. Some were peppery and nasty, others were just fleshy and plain.

Next year I'm giving all the real estate I'd used for vines for carrots and more strawberries.

To prepare for next year, clear up rotting and spent plants.

Remove any invasive weeds that may have infiltrated your beds over the past growing season.

Don't blow falling leaves away, they're free garden food!

We don't have many trees, so we have to wait until leaves blow into our yard from elsewhere and there's still plenty!

To put your garden beds to bed for winter, cover with leaves, plastic tarp and rocks along the perimeter to hold it in place.

For my strawberries which will come back strong, I cover them in leaves, but no tarp.

Divide and plant bulbs now. I'm counting on the allium, daffodils, and lillies already in my garden to be the earliest markers of spring.

Replenishing the garden now will save on fertilizers and increases the overall health of the soil.

Once all the outdoor prep is done, I'll be retiring indoors to shop online for new seeds.

I've been asked where I get mine from; the Walla Walla sweets were gifted to me locally, everything else is from Baker Creek Heirloom seeds. They have both an online and print catalogue filled will all next year's yummiest crops.