Garden Tip for Northern Gardeners

We have had some beautiful weather the past couple of weeks here in North Minnesota but the night time temperatures have been getting down close to freezing. It was time to collect the last of the vegetables from the garden and put the garden to bed for the winter. The last harvest produced a nice bowl of cucumbers, a bowl of green peppers and a bowl of onions. My daughter and I shelled the dried beans that I had picked earlier. There was a mixture of red beans, pinto beans, and black turtle beans. There are still the potatoes to dig. Last week I made a pot of ham and bean soup and last night we ate Italian stuffed peppers. All from the garden’s bounty! Life is good.

Garden Tip 1: My garden beds are 4X8 feet raised beds made with landscaping timbers. In the late fall after the beds have been thoroughly cleaned, stretch a sheet of clear plastic over the frame and staple it down. In the spring the sunlight will shine through the plastic and warm the dark soil below. But the heat will be trapped. The warm air will not just blow away. The ground will heat up faster and you will be able to plant much sooner. It works. Find this Projects For Small Gardens in my Curios Store.