Assessing the Raised Bed in Fall Seasoned Gardener : Episode SGN-303 -- More Projects »
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Early fall is the time to harvest and tend to plants in a raised bed and to winterize the bed for the cold months ahead.
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Raised beds come in all different shapes and sizes and add a nice visual element to a landscape. Many gardeners enjoy growing in raised beds because their elevation makes them easier to work in. Like every garden, there comes a time when they need to be prepared for the coming season. Before winterizing the beds, take a moment to assess how individual plants did this growing season, harvest any remaining vegetables, and cut any flowers.
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Ornamental kale is not intended to be edible, but it makes a great garnish for fruit and vegetable trays.
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Ornamental kale needs to be taken out of the soil in early fall because frost will eventually kill it. If the kale has holes in it, slugs or cutworms could be the culprit.
Green beans should look green and smooth when harvested. Harvest before you can feel the outline of the individual beans inside the pod. If you've left them too long, shell the beans and discard the pods; they will be too tough to eat. Beans will last about a week in a cool, moist place.
Yellow wax beans are best picked before they become wrinkled. These will also last a week after they're picked ifstored properly.
Cucumbers should be picked immediately after they reach full size. Left on longer, seeds start forming, and the plant stops producing. Cucumbers need to be cooled after being picked, so plunge them into cold water and they won't go bad quickly.
Summer squash can be harvested until the first frost. Pick squash when they are about six inches long. They will keep for two weeks when refrigerated unwashed. The flowers are edible too.
Beets can be harvested when the roots begin to get round. The leaves are edible, too, and can be steamed like spinach. For winter storage, remove the tops by twisting them off, and keep the roots in a humid, cool place. Beets can be kept in the refrigerator for up to six months when placed in a perforated plastic bag filled with damp sawdust or peat moss.
Red leaf lettuce can be picked when the heads are firm or by picking the outer leaves as needed. Harvest leaves when they are about four to six inches long and before they turn yellow or brown or get too long. If the stem gets long, you've waited too long to pick it--the lettuce will be bitter.
Cosmos eventually goes to seed. This makes great bird food, but if you don't want cosmos to grow throughout the garden, it's best to remove the plant from the bed.
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If you want more zinnias next spring in the same area, allow the plants to go to seed before you remove them.
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Zinnias bloom until the first frost. Zinnias also go to seed, so be careful when removing them from your garden if they already have. Any seeds that fall into the soil will grow next year.
Marigolds bloom until the first hard freeze. Spider mites, snails and slugs can be a problem with marigolds, so look for damage.Once vegetables have been harvested and flowers have been cut, remove any remaining plants. Getting rid of plant debris eliminates a lot of the hiding places and homes for overwintering insects and diseases. As you remove plants, shake as much of the soil loose from the roots as possible. If a plant is diseased, do not put it into a compost pile--it could spread the disease wherever the compost is placed. Every year, organic matter in your soil gets used up, so it's important to add more each season. Taking the time in early fall to amend the soil gives it a great boost for spring planting. And, when the weather warms up, you'll be ready to plant right away. Mushroom compost is good for use in vegetable gardens. It is actually the medium that mushrooms are grown in commercially. It has little odor and isn't harmful to skin. Composted manure and any compost you have made are also good soil amendments. Add a couple of inches of compost over the surface of the garden and mix it into the top layer of soil.
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