The Hort Report: Nights will start to get longer, and it’s not too late to till your garden

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone and your families from Laura, Hillary, Sandra and myself. The birth of Jesus Christ is the reason for the season. 

Saturday, Dec. 21 was the first day of winter and the winter solstice. That means that we will begin to have more minutes of daylight each day until Friday, June 20, the summer solstice, when daylight minutes will begin to get fewer each day. Start to enjoy the longer days of sunlight.

The weather is changing and getting more like winter. Didn’t see many large flocks of geese or ducks during October or November, but since about December 9, I have heard and seen a few large flocks about sunset. 

I know it is late, but as long as the soil isn’t frozen, try to till your garden if you haven’t already. The soil is warmer, will till easier and break down better. Fall tilling allows the cold weather to help kill many insects and diseases that you may have been fighting during the growing season. Tilling will help deter them in the next growing season.

Put organic matter on the garden like leaves, composted garden waste, manure and other types of organic matter to help build up the soil profile. Tilling organic matter into the soil helps build up the health of the living microbial life in the soil. 

These micros in the soil help break down nutrients in the compost so the vegetable plants can have a ready food source to help them grow in coming years. Organic matter will stay in the soil longer than many types of nonorganic fertilizers, either dry or water-soluble. 

Tilling in the fall allows snow or rain that we get over the winter months to go into the sub-soil and be there for the roots of the vegetables in next year’s growing season. 

Add amendments to your garden soil, either before or after you till your garden. Sand and lime are a couple of amendments that build the soil health and profile.

Sand will help make the soil more aired, allowing water and air to move in and around the vegetable plants’ roots. Lime will help balance the pH level of the soil. 

Fall tilling of the soil will help the soil warm up faster in the spring so you can start to get your cool-season vegetables in the soil earlier. 

After fall tilling, you can add compost, organic fertilizer, sand or lime. If you didn’t get this done before you tilled it, there are still several months of winter to allow these things to allow nature to work them into the soil.

The South Shelby Adult Vo-Ag Horticulture Class will start Tuesday, Jan. 7. The class is held from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. every Tuesday until Tuesday, April 29 in the South Shelby Vo-Ag classroom and greenhouse. Topics that will be covered are: 

• Planning and how to build greenhouses. 
• Garden and flowerbed layouts. 
• Landscape designs. 
• Growing plants from seed and plant cuttings or division of plants. 
• Organic and inorganic fertilizers. 
• Soil testing and soil profiles. 
• Pruning of fruit trees, brambles and grapes.
• Harvesting of vegetables and fruits. 
• Pesticide and chemical safety and usage. 
• Other topics to be decided on by the class members. 

You will grow your vegetables and flowers from seed or cutting until you plant them in your garden or flowerbeds. If you have any questions, call 573-588-2040 or 573-406-7267.

I appreciate all your questions in the past and look forward to more of them. Please call me at 573-588-2040, visit me at Shelby County Implement in Shelbina, Mo., email me at sci63468@hotmail.com or go to Greenwell’s Greenhouse Groups on Facebook. I enjoy most of all when people ask me anytime they see me. Have a Merry Christmas.

Pat Greenwell is the owner of Shelby County Implement in Shelbina, Mo. He was a high school agriculture teacher for 11 years. He has taught adult vocational agriculture since 1987. He also is a research assistant at the Truman State University Ag Department Farm.