With the first frost of the fall already a week overdue, the farm is well on its way to getting all tucked in for the winter – we’re clearing beds, adding compost, and laying mulch; harvesting the last few peppers and tomatoes before we pull the plants out altogether; and getting perennial plants (the ones that live for many years, like asparagus, strawberries, and lavender) all cozy under straw to keep them insulated through the cold weather.

In the midst of all this harvesting and pulling plants out, though, we’ve got some cold loving plants that are just getting started! This weekend I planted cold-hardy lettuce in the greenhouse, and I harvested the first of the fall peas. And last Friday, with the help of the Cape Cod Collaborative, I planted two full rows of garlic, which overwinters in the ground, pokes up its first leaves through the snow, and then is ready for harvest in July. It’s a long time, but the zest of fresh garlic makes it worth the wait!

These rows don’t look like much now, but in about nine months, they’ll be chock-full of fresh garlic!