Yes, it is already November.  Seems like just a few days ago we were looking at the beginning of 2020 and wondering what great things it would bestow on us.  The joke has been on us!  COVID, hurricanes, sod web worms, election year, and last but not least, the deer ate much of my garden.  The year is not yet over, but hopefully the rest of the year will be all good!

The past few weeks have been pretty nice for working in the garden.  While the early part of October was hot, now it is feeling more November-like.  So, here is what you still can plant this fall to have a winter garden:  Radishes, lettuce, beets, spinach, sugar snap peas, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collards. (the last four will need to be transplants and it is getting hard to find good ones at this point) assuming our weather the next few months is like it has been the last few years, (global warming?) you should be enjoying good healthy veggies for the next few months.  When I say healthy, I am assuming that you are using organic methods in your veggie garden and hopefully all over your real estate.  This means no chemical fertilizers and very limited or no pesticides.

Microlife Sale coming again this spring

For the past few years, the Lake Houston Gardeners club members have loaded up on MicroLife all organic products to support the OFE Growers.  We hope you will support us again in February when we will again offer these products to club members at a significant discount versus garden centers.   This is a great fund raiser for the school gardens and at the same time as a club member you may save enough to pay for your membership.  So, be thinking of what you will need and use next year as we only do this once a year.  At the January meeting Greg Cooper from MicroLife will be our speaker. If you are not already an organic gardener, Greg will give you lots of compelling reasons why you should be.

The club has had several presentations in past years from John Ferguson.  John writes a weekly column which is attached to the weekly newsletter by Brenda Beust Smith, the Lazy Gardener.  John is the owner of Nature’s Way Resources and a true soil scientist.  In his October 30^th column, he lists lots of reasons and cites research as to why we should be more careful of what we eat.  He contends that our diets and much of what we eat is lacking in nutrients due to the way modern farming is done.  He cites several studies about glyphosate and how almost everything we eat has it in it.  His conclusion is that you should grow your own food to the extent you can and if not at least buy organic foods from a Farmer’s Market or other trusted source.  You can read his whole article and also a composting article entitled HUGELKULTUR,  at this site:  https://www.natureswayresources.com/NLpdf/362LGNewsletter.pdf   You can also sign up for their free newsletter there.  

The sweet potatoes are harvested at Oak Forest gardens and our next big events will be the pumpkin smash.  Each year the US Department of Agriculture estimates that after Halloween and Thanksgiving a billion pounds of pumpkins end up in the landfill.  We have a better idea!  We collect all that we can, decorate the gardens for a few weeks, then let the students smash them, collecting the seeds and composting the rest of the meat. Last year Regina Ripley donated at least 25 from her landscaping business to this effort.  If you have a pumpkin you no longer want, drop it off at the school and the students will make sure it does not end up a few miles away at the landfill.  They also would love your leaves and pine needles.  There is a sign in the east parking lot showing where to put them.  

While 2020 has had its surprises, we, too, have lots to be thankful for.  I hope you have a great Thanksgiving month and you and your garden are blessed!  2020