Grow Your Own

September

September is the time to plant spinach, kale, radishes, turnips and leeks. Leeks can be grown from transplants or from seed, and often take 120 days to reach maturity. For a good selection of leek seeds, visit Territorial Seeds (www.territorialseed.com) or Johnny’s Seeds (www.johnnyseeds.com).

October

October is the month for starting your frost watch and planting garlic, onions and shallots. Plant your shallots 1-2 inches deep, 6-8 inches apart. After two months, use them as you would green onions— or wait until late spring, when the plants start to die back, and harvest the bulbs. Territorial Seed has an excellent selection of shallots, but for a local source, visit Piedmont Farm and Garden Supply in Spartanburg.

November

In November, begin your garden clean-up and start preparing your soil for spring by working in compost and covering the rows with straw, hay or other organic material to help keep weeds down and nutrients in. After you’ve raked your leaves, don’t burn them; chop them up and add them to your compost pile, or use them in a lasagna garden. For a good visual aid to help you get started, visit: www.greenvillecounty.org/air_quality/pdf/lasagna_gardening_poster.pdf.