Fall gardening brings a ‘visual tapestry’ of plants

Fall gardening brings a ‘visual tapestry’ of plants
Oakhurst Community Garden director calls fall planting a gardener’s respite

By KATIE LESLIE
photo:MIKKI K. HARRIS/mkharris@ajc.com

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

October 2008

To heck with the heat and banish the bugs. Summer vegetable gardening surely yields a tasty crop of peppers and tomatoes, but often at the expense of sunburns and pesky critters running amok.

It might be enough to make novices give up their gardening gloves for the year, but take heart, says Stephanie Van Parys, executive director of the Oakhurst Community Garden in Decatur. Planting in the fall is a gardener’s respite.
What I like about fall gardening is there is so much more to grow after a wild, crazy insect-ridden summer,” she says. “Vegetable gardening in the winter is demure, contained, small and so much more manageable.”

And between the fuschia and yellow stalks of Swiss chard and the chartreuse of young lettuce, winter crops are vibrant with color.

“You can really create a visual tapestry as most plants grow to about 12 inches.”

Georgia is at the tail end of the summer growing season, and now is the time to get your fall planting done for a winter and spring harvest. And with dropping leaves allowing more light into Atlanta’s backyards, those who may not have been able to garden in the summer because of overabundant shade can now get in the game.

Van Parys says the garden, south of Agnes Scott College, is getting visits from increasing numbers of people interested in growing their own. Oakhurst’s gardening classes are regularly sold out with new crops of gardeners.

Louise Estabrook, agriculture and natural resource agent for the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension-Fulton County, says she’s also seen a rise in interest. She was recently asked to help create community gardens in Sandy Springs, Roswell and Alpharetta.

Tim Watts, a software engineer, recently visited the Oakhurst Community Garden for ideas to start a community garden in Kirkwood.

“But with the way the economy is looking, who knows?” he says. “This may turn into more than a hobby.”