Two cool-season crops in Oregon. Left, green-type kohlrabi, a "stem turnip", in a garden in February. Some leaves have been lost. Right, digging beets in winter.

It's better to keep the entire garden Plot busy than to let it grow up in weeds, go to seed, and cause trouble the next season. In the small garden, You can easily clear off rows and replant them as soon as the first planting has been harvested.

Some of the cold-hardy, cool-season vegetables do well when planted in late summer or early fall, to mature during cool weather. These should be Planted 6 to 8 weeks before the first fall frost (except in the North), and include beets, broccoli, collards, kale, lettuce, mustard, spinach, turnips and rutabagas. Refer to table for fall Planting dates.

Cultivating, Mulching

The purpose of cultivation is primarily to control weeds. If the garden is not mulched, cultivate often enough to destroy weeds while they are small. If the soil is hard and crusty, plants may benefit from loosening the soil to provide better aeration especially while crops are small. After crops become larger, cultivation should be very shallow to avoid damaging roots near the surface.

Avoid cultivating while the soil is wet. This destroys the crumbly structure of the soil.

Mulching is very beneficial in conserving moisture, controlling weeds, and improving soil structure. Organic mulches such as old sawdust, leaves, ground-up tree bark, and partially rotted hay, straw, or lawn clippings will also keep the soil cooler, keep it from packing, and add humus to the soil when turned under at the end of the growing season. Any weeds that push through the mulch can easily be pulled out by hand.

Black plastic sheeting 1 1/2 mils thick also makes an excellent mulch if used properly. Plastic mulch controls weeds, holds moisture in the soil, and reduces loss of fertilizer by leaching. Since dark colors absorb heat and warm the soil underneath, black plastic is particularly beneficial to early-planted crops. However, soil under black plastic may get too warm during summer unless shaded by plant foliage or covered with a mulching material such as cardboard, sawdust, or fine straw.

Watering will not be needed as often when the garden is mulched. In most areas, garden crops during summer need about 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water (or rain) per week. Sandy soils will not hold as much moisture as will heavier clay soils or those containing ample humus. During prolonged drought, plants on sandy soil (not mulched) may need an inch of water every 5 to 7 days; and those on heavier soils may need about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches of water every 7 to 10 days.

Thorough waterings at these intervals are more beneficial than light sprinklings at more frequent intervals.

Subsequent chapters cover the prevention and control of insects, plant diseases, and other pests, including the judicious use of pesticides when necessary.

Keeping Records

Don't trust your memory from one year to the next. Keeping records of varieties planted, for example, and taking a few notes on their performance, will help you at decision-making time the next season.

Keeping a record of some of the problems encountered, and what you did about them, may help you avoid the same problems next year.

Did you make some plantings too early or too late this year? If so, a few notes will refresh your memory next time around.

Did you grow too much of some crops and not enough of others? Was one variety of a particular crop better for processing than another? If so, a few records will be beneficial.

How much did your garden cost this year? How much was it worth? What was the return on your investment for seed, plants, fertilizers, pesticides, supplies and equipment? What was your labor worth, and that of your family? Maybe you'd just as soon not figure the value in dollars and cents, but count the enjoyment and personal satisfaction as your reward.