Growing for a Fall harvest
I'm excitedly awaiting my spinach seeds and garlic in the mail, which will complete the planting I am doing for the fall! Just last week, I got in more lettuce, beets, turnips, snow peas, shelling peas, carrots and broccoli. I just love that gardening is not finished even though summer is hinting that it might not last too much longer.
This excellent article popped into my inbox today, and I thought it might be of interest to the gardeners out there. It's called "Second Harvest" and it focuses on when and what to plant for a fall harvest. Here's a snippet from the article:
Your vegetable garden is most likely at its
peak of production right about now, with basketloads of summer
favorites ripening every day. In just a few short weeks, though, the
season for tomatoes, cucumbers, and other warm-weather crops ends. Good
news: You don't have to wait until next spring to harvest more fresh
vegetables from your garden. This week, you can plant a variety of
crops that thrive in the cool temperatures of fall and some that even
tolerate winter temperatures in the North.
There are many benefits to enjoy when you extend your growing
season past summer. Most of the common, warm-weather pests and diseases
either slow down or disappear completely when the weather turns cooler,
making growing organically even easier. Fall and winter gardening is
also good for your soil. Many organic gardeners are familiar with the
cover crops that protect and build the soil. Fall and winter vegetables
offer the same level of protection and, with careful management, do not
deplete your soil. Best of all, crops such as carrots and kale taste
better after they have endured some cold weather. If you've never
gardened in fall before or even if you're an old hand at it, this guide
is full of hints and tricks that make it easy and satisfying.
I've been receiving newsletters from Organic Gardening's site for the last month or so, and have been enjoying much of what I've been reading!
Are you planting again for the fall? What are you planting (and where do you live)?
Thanks for this link. I really need to get on the ball with my fall planting. So far, I am planning broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, lettuce, and maybe carrots. May plant some other things too. I live in South GA.
We’re replanting some things, and starting some other things from scratch: broccoli raab, garlic, lettuce, beets, turnips, carrots, radishes, broccoli. A lot of what we planted is still going strong, though. We planted late and thin this year, so we’re glad for whatever we get!
You both sound similar to me! I haven’t tried cauliflower yet, though I intend to next spring.
Ranee, more than half of my garden is still going strong, too, but the second half of it is starting to clear up enough to replant.
I don’t know if I can plant more now or not. Hmmm. I live fairly north in Canada. We’ve already had a frost warning, (it went down to 2) and frost this time of year is not at all unheard of. It is always either sooner or at the least by the end of the month. I also don’t have a lot of room left to plant new things, as I am trying to let the summer things soak up the last tiny bit of sun and warmth they can (although its very lacking) since we had such a cool, wet summer. We have only had 2 days above 30 all summer. Not so good for my summer crops!
Any ideas about what I can plant now (if anything?) Maybe if I cover some things up the nights we have frost? We normally get snow for the winter late Oct/early Nov but it can be in late Sept. I was considering doing some spinach and radishes since they are fast and can tolerate some cold but I don’t know how much. I also am swamped with so many things its hard to find the time or energy to think. I know you know how that feels.
I’m sorry to hear about your vines. Have you heard of growing them on trellises? Even for bigger crops. The stems, apparently, grow thicker to accomodate the crops if you start them that way and have a heavy duty trellis. I am doing that next year hopefully. Its explained in the new square foot gardening book. This year I tried some peas on a trellis and also not to see what happened. The ones I planted weren’t supposed to “need” a trellis. I had less peas, and much, much more problems with the ones that didn’t have a trellis. I had to pull them out they went all rotten or something and had more bugs. I am wondering if the trellises would also help my issues with blossom end rot. I don’t know.
My biggest issues have been battling the slugs and earwigs. Seriously there are infestations of them in this area. They even come inside (the earwigs) the house. Gross! Better than spraying. I can’t keep up with my organic pest control as much as I need to (every day to empty and refresh homemade traps).
Nola, it’s tough to know what you could plant. I would definitely say radish and spinach. Lettuce is probably also good, and maybe turnips or beets? They don’t take that long, and tolerate some cold. You could also get some garlic, which will stay in until the spring (or early summer?).
I can understand why you’re feeling swamped and tired, anyways! You’re going to really enjoying slowing down this fall/winter, I think, as you get ready for baby. That’s the nice thing about winter babies!
I would have loved to do my squash on a trellis, it just cost money. I had already spent a fair bit (as much as I wanted to spend) on my garden, and to build a solid trellis would have been too expensive. Next year, though, I would really like to make that a priority, as my garden isn’t really big enough to handle these massive plants, and I agree that trellised plants seem healthier with less issues.
Have you tried coffee to deter slugs? I’ve read that it works. The slugs are getting my little broccoli plants like crazy, but I’m trying coffee grounds and egg shells. It’s worth a try, cause it’s free!