As I write this, we are looking at possible freezing temperatures this week, signaling the end of the warm growing season. However, by using a cold frame or greenhouse, you can continue to enjoy crops such as kale, mustards, spinach, arugula, and even lettuce. Don’t forget, this is the time to plant your garlic, shallots, and onions outside! We have a beautiful climate for growing these, and they flourish in our cold but not deep winters, providing very sweet onions in the spring and summer. You can plant these with seeds, bulbs, or even plants from companies like Dixondale Farms of Texas, which I prefer.
The days are shorter, so the tomatoes are ripening very slowly here at Moonstruck Farms. The flowers are putting out just a few blooms, but the sweet peas are popping up, and many early-spring bulbs like paperwhites are even blooming, as the temperatures and day length are mirroring spring-like conditions right now. The sweet peas will not produce yet, but they are setting nice strong roots, then will die back with winter and burst forth in the spring, bringing gorgeous, fragrant blooms for us. Many cold-hardy annuals do this, and to have these beauties in our climate, it really is a must to plant them now, let them establish roots, rest over the winter, and burst forth in the spring—especially since our spring is such a short period of time. All 10,000 tulip bulbs arrive this week, and we will be filling orders and preparing beds to plant while the tulip bulbs rest safely in our 42-degree cool room. If you would like to order, please visit our sister company’s site at www.fablesbulbsandseeds.com; the November promo code for 30% off is “TULIPMANIA.” We will also be filling hydroponic trays in a new experiment to see if we can have tulips for Christmas!
The local farmers markets are on winter hours, with the Phelan Farmers Market open from 2 to 5 p.m. Currently, it is all outside, but I am sure it will be just a matter of weeks before part of the market moves inside at 4128 Warbler Road in Phelan inside the Community Center. The Wrightwood Farmers Market is now open from 3 to 6 p.m. and is outside in the Wrightwood Community Center parking lot, but as soon as Old Man Winter arrives, I am sure it will move inside for the winter. Remember, the Phelan Farmers Market accepts EBT, as does the Wrightwood Farmers Market. The Phelan Market adds a bonus with the Market Match grant, gifting up to $15 in free produce when you use your card at the market. See the manager for details.
