October is a great time to take an assessment of your kitchen garden and begin preparations for winter and the Cool Season in Atlanta. Steps taken now will result in some super great dirt and lots of fresh herbs, vegetables and cut flowers later. 

First, take stock of the state of your kitchen garden. Now’s the time to clean up all debris and spent plants. Remove any plant materials that are damaged or diseased from all raised beds, trellises, fences or other structures. 

Next, think about getting a soil test. If you’ve never had your soil tested, October is a great month to do so. A soil text will give you all kinds of super useful information and let you know what parts of your kitchen garden may need soil amendments. Your Georgia County Extension Office will provide soil testing kits and handle shipping your samples to The University of Georgia Lab. For a small fee, you’ll receive a very detailed report that will tell you exactly what amendments to add to your soil. You can locate your local County Extension Office here.

Consider planting a cover crop in all of the beds that aren’t being used for Cool Season herbs and vegetables. Planting a cover crop will help ensure super fertile soil next year. Cover crops add organic matter to the soil when the cover crops are turned over and then decompose, and help the soil hold in nutrients. Cover crops also fill in the gaps between planting times, help keep out weeds and provide a home for pollinators. There are many different cover crops to choose from, including clovers, Hairy vetch, soybean, cowpeas, winter peas, cereal rye and oats. You can even combine a grain with a legume. This year, I’m going to try Iron and Clay Southern Cowpeas and Austrian Winter Peas, and plan on using the shoots from the Winter Peas in my salads!

Before you plant your cover crop, be sure to weed your beds thoroughly. Then till the soil to a depth of about 4 or 5 inches. Broadcast (i.e., scatter) the cover crop seeds thickly and, using a small rake or hand tool, gently scratch the seeds into the surface of the soil. Then pat the soil down gently, or use a roller, to firm up the bed and secure the seeds in the soil. Water every other day for the first week or two, then water once a week (unless there’s rain). After the cover crops are established, they should be able to survive on rainwater alone. Cover crop seeds are available at garden stores and online through seed companies. One of my favorites is Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. Southern Exposure Seed Exchange is located in Virginia, and offers vegetable, flower, herb, grain and cover crop seeds that are not chemically treated.

Finally, mulch any winter greens and prepare your raised beds for garlic, shallots and perennial onions. Oh my! Mid-fall is the best time to plant these babies – which are grown from bulbs or cloves, not seeds. And be sure to add in a few skeletons. After all – tis the season for the Song of the Witches – Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and caldron bubble . . .