Hi Alice,

DonÂt water your root crops at all anymore unless the soil is powder dry. I was just out digging my first couple parsnipsÂwhat a jobÂand my soil in the root crop area is JUST BARELY damp. ThatÂs just about perfect for storing them out there for the winter. If itÂs too wet, theyÂll rot, and if you water them deeply now, it will definitely stay wet too long with the cool/cold fall/winter temps.

With the spinach/chard/kale, I do recommend watering them deeply whenever the soil is getting on the dry side. But donÂt just water the surface with a hand-held hose. Stick a little sprinkler in the middle of them, run it for 10 or 15 minutes, turn it off for half an hour or an hour, and then water another 15 minutes or so. That way itÂll soak in more deeply than if you do it all at once. If you still have really heavy clay that the water runs off of easily, IÂd repeat the watering a third time. A deep watering should last a long time with the short days and cold temps now, but if it stays dry this year and the soil is drying out several inches down in again, IÂd repeat the watering as necessary over winterÂas long as the veggies are still useable. If youÂre watering after itÂs getting really cold out, do it early in the day on a day when the temps are above freezingÂthough youÂd tend to do that automatically since you canÂt water till the water in the hose thaws!!!

Happy winter gardening,
Skybird