Dan's Papers - November 7, 2008

We've started to take down gardens and organize space for storing pots for the winter. It has been very warm and frost has only hit a few spots. If you're protected, the impatiens could last a few weeks into November. But low lying areas have already been hit and so the annual ritual of closing up the gardens has begun.

I love the clean look of the gardens once all the flowers and the foliage have been removed. The underlying structure made by the bed lines and boxwood, evergreens and trees is very appealing after the busy, brilliant colorful growing season. There is less to distract the eye from the brilliant fall foliage which will follow the flowers onto the compost heap soon enough. But it all takes a lot of work.

We begin by pulling the annuals out of all the beds and planters. If the impatiens have been hit by a hard frost they will be slimy and difficult to clean up. In general, we knock as much soil off of the roots as possible to lighten the load, but wheel barrow full after wheel barrow full makes its way out to the compost pile. Annuals, herbs and vegetables break down easily over the course of the winter, so these are the first to be thrown on the pile. Infusions of herbs that are specially prepared are used to innoculate compost in the biodynamic method and these can be purchased if you would like to try this with your own pile.

I can't help but think that throwing the entire herb garden into the mix will make the compost somehow richer even if I'm taking the lazy way out and not layering with manure, making any special compost starters or innoculants - or even turning it from time to time. Somehow nature does the work for me with very little effort on my part. By spring, weather and rot will have done quite a bit of work. There may be a few wispy stalks left of the slightly woody branches of rosemary and lavender, or tomato and pepper stems, but these are easily sifted out.

It's difficult sometimes to throw a beautiful hibiscus on the top of the heap, particularly after caring for it all season. But if you decide to bring it in and save it for next year, remember two things. The house has to stay warm enough for the plant to survive and someone has to water it twice a week. It may also get infested with aphids which will mean treating it so that it does not become infested inside. Hibiscus are notorious for this. And all this care means cost so balance that against simply buying a new one next year and you may be more willing to chuck it in the compost with the other annuals so that the woody stem will be all that remains next spring.

What is important to consider is that the ritual winter "death" of the garden this year can be what gives life to it next spring. All the leaves, flowers and herbs that break down on the compost pile, become rich worm castings that can be used every time that you plant something new, to top dress the veggie bed or mixed in with potting soil in your planters. This cuts out the need for fertilizers in some cases and cuts down on the expense of buying bagged composts. Plus you are recycling in the grand old fashion, the way nature has been doing for millennia.

Bring in all the tropicals, palms, jasmine, agapanthus or any other plants that are tender. By next week there may be a killing frost that will turn their leaves black and leaving you wishing that you had remembered to make room for them a little earlier.