A Poet’s Guide to Planting Four Winter Crops

1. Sow cover crops from August to November, as beds empty after harvest: their green will cheer your heart through May. 

• Early-planted mixes will die back by spring to make your soil loose and rich. You’re ready to grow food. 

• Late-planted mixes must be trampled down in May. You will smoosh them under boards; watch them kink over, die, and make a mulch for planting squash and sweet potatoes through. 

• Order mixes from Walnut Creek Seeds: made for Ohio soils, the website will tell you which mix to choose for the planting month you need.

2. Establish winter carrots when the kids go back to school. 

• They’ll grow and grow (just like kids!), and then they’ll stop. 

• Earth is their refrigerated pantry (...not like kids)--just dig out as you need until April.

3. Put garlic in the ground before first freeze. Between Halloween and St. Nick’s Day is great. 

• Just tuck in baby cloves (points-up under straw). Even sleeping, they’ll keep vampires away. 

• The cloves will be grown-up in June, but you can snack on scapes and flowers until then.

4. Plant leeks in spring--even winter ones. The carrots will be out, and all the leeks can go right in. 

• Summer types grow fast and graceful, beautifully green and white. 

• Winter types grow slow and timid, squatting low to keep their heads out of the wind. They are survivors. 

• Once you’ve got them all in-ground, just harvest the right ones at the right times. Look at you: so mindful of your present moment! You have arrived.