Expert: Mike Mascio - 10/19/2007

Question
hello sir,
my name is Ren, and i am a senior girl scout from Connecticut. my troop is planning on planting a year-round garden for our high school. we were wondering if you could tell us some things that we could plant within the next threeish weeks before the frost, that hopefully won't die.
we want to be able to have plants ready by the schools reopening in the spring.
thank you for your time.
sincerely,
Ren

Answer
Ren, unfortunately it is too late to plant at this time. With a few exceptions such as asparagus, all vegetables are annuals. Therefore, they will die once the first frost occurs.

One thing you could plant that will go dormant over the winter but emerge in the spring is garlic. You can find different varieties of garlic in most garden centers at this time of year. Do not use grocery store bulbs because they are normally sprayed with an anti-sprouting chemical.

Once you do purchase the garlic, separate the individual cloves from the bulb. Plant each clove 4" deep, making sure you plant the root end down. This is normally the flat section at the bottom of the clove. The pointed end will face up.

You should see the first signs of growth in very early spring. They will then grow throughout the summer. Once the stalks turn brown in late summer and fall over, carefully dig up the new bulbs. You can then braid them and store them in a cool location next fall, such as a basement or garage. It's as simple as that.

I hope this helps. If you need assistance next spring, feel free to write again.

Have a good weekend.

Mike