Writen by Joyce Moore
It's hard to imagine but mid to late summertime is the time to start your cool weather fall crops in your garden. But on the other hand, you will have more success than when you tried starting seeds in the spring! No way, you say. Yes indeed. Not only is the soil now warm and toasty, but the insects that ravaged your broccoli and lettuce have either morphed into something and flown away or have moved on.
You can now direct sow into soil so save time and expense by not having to start indoors with the costs of potting soil, trays, pots etc. and same time by not having to transplant in four to six weeks. Of course I am not talking about melons, corn, squashes, or outdoor tomatoes here. I am talking about root crops and cool weather crops like broccoli, lettuce, spinach, etc.
As in the spring, prepare your seeding beds before sowing. If you are following a summer crop that is done, be sure to add lots of organic matter to the soil as you work it, to put back nutrients for your new crop.
Sow the seeds as per directions on the packet and water in. It is important to keep the seedling bed moist until the the plants have germinated and are well established. I believe that a row cover such as Remay is a good idea. Keeps the soil and plants a little cooler during the day as well as keeps the insects out. May remove the row cover for pollination purposes or to add mulch around your established plants. Speaking of mulch, this is a great way to keep the plant roots cool and retain moisture for the growing plants. Some gardeners provide some shade from the sun by propping up some boards or even a canopy cover to keep the hot summer sun from directly hitting the soil and "cooking" it. Remember, seeds don't need direct sunshine until after they germinate. The warned soil and moisture will do the job.
So when do you sow your seeds for fall crops? Easy! Take the maturity date from the seed packet and backtrack the required number of days. For example, leaf lettuce takes 45-60 days on average, so if your first frost date is Oct 31, then count back 60 days. Now you know you should be planting lettuce mid to late August. Successive plantings is the key here. Keep planting a new row each week up until Labor Day! Because lettuce can take a light frost if protected, you will probably get another week or two into November!
Here is a list of appropriate vegetable crops for fall harvesting:
Plant long-term, frost-tolerant vegetables together.
Frost- tolerant vegetables include beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, collards, garlic, kale, lettuce, mustard, onions, parsley, spinach and turnips.
Keep in mind the relative maturity rate, average height (in feet) and frost sensitivity of the crop of various garden vegetables with FS meaning frost-susceptible crops which will be killed or injured by temperatures below 32 degrees F. and FT meaning frost-tolerant crops which can withstand temperatures below 32 degrees F.
The quick (30-60 days) maturing vegetables are: beets (1 1/2 feet) FT; bush beans (1 1/2 feet) FS; leaf lettuce (1 foot) FT; mustard (1 1/2 feet) FT; radishes (1 1/2 feet) FT; spinach (1 foot) FT; summer squash (3 feet) FS; turnips (1 1/2 feet) FT; and turnip greens (1 1/2 feet) FT.
The moderate (60-80 days) maturing vegetables are: broccoli (3 feet) FT; Chinese cabbage (1 1/2 feet) FT; carrots (1 foot) FT; cucumbers (1 foot) FS; corn (6 feet) FS; green onions (1 1/2 feet) FT; kohlrabi (1 1/2 feet) FT; lima bush beans (1 1/2 feet) FS; okra (6 feet) FS; parsley (1 1/2 feet) FT; peppers (3 feet) FS; and cherry tomatoes (4 feet) FS.
The slow (80 days or more) maturing vegetables are: Brussels sprouts (2 feet) FT; bulb onions (1 1/2 feet) FT; cabbage (1 1/2 feet) FT; cantaloupes (1 foot) FS; cauliflower (3 feet) FT; eggplant (3 feet) FS; garlic (1 foot) FT; Irish potatoes (2 feet) FS; pumpkins (2 feet) FS; sweet potatoes (2 feet) FS; tomatoes (4 feet) FS; watermelon (1 foot) FS; and winter squash (1 foot) FS.
OK, now you have your plants established and growing well. You need some protection from fall's early frosty nights. Some people are able to keep a "greens" garden growing through mid winter depending on how they protect the plants, available sunshine and soil temperature. Here in the Pacific Northwest, it is not unusual for those who live in the mild maritime costal weather patterns, to be able to garden nearly year round!
When the weather man predicts a frosty evening then the quickest and easiest way to protect a plant overnight is a light cover, such as plastic sheeting, a bed sheet, newspaper, bubble wrap, or what is handy.
Please remove the cover in the morning so the plants get sunshine and air circulation.
Another inexpensive way to protect small plants is of course, the milk jug with the bottom cut off. Be sure to push the bottom edges into the dirt a little to prevent cold air from creeping in underneath.
Another freebie idea, using discarded window panes as a mini solar greenhouse! I would throw a sheet of plastic or bed sheet over the whole thing at night so as to keep cold drafts from stealing in and ruining your crop. Again, remove your overnight cover during the day to allow circulation. A good idea is to place a small thermometer inside where you can see it so you know what the daytime temperature is. That way, if the temp is getting too warm, you can remove your window pane structure so your plants don't get cooked!
Another inexpensive but very worthy item to have for winter gardening is a cold frame!
Since you can't work on your plant bed from one side where the window or cover is, I would plan mine to be three feet wide and six feet long. These work great on a raised bed too! For insulation, consider a layer of styrofoam around the inside walls.
Building material can be most any wood planks with cedar and redwood being the least likely to have to be replaced in time.
This last garden cover is a little more involved but I found quite interesting. The full plans can be found in "Gardening Under Cover" from Sasquatch Books, Seattle, Wa. Basically it is framed with PVC pipe and then covered with plastic. I would use the greenhouse type of plastic that is resistant to UV rays as the cheap plastic found in your local hardware store gets brittle and cracks into a zillion peices within one year of use but can be used "on the cheap" for one growing season. The PVC frame is attached to a wooden frame by drilled screws, then the plastic is put on and at each corner, the excess plastic is pulled out to a point and folded back on the frame like a hospital sheet corner. The plastic is then stapled onto the frame and cover with duct tape for stability. The entire bottom is stapled one more time and you are done! Lightweight, portable and inexpensive. Great way to cover a larger bed. Can be easily lifted by hand for watering or weeding. We use this idea for individual "mini greenhouse" for our baby giant pumpkin plants in the spring.
Place some wooden stakes (three or more on each side) around the frame to keep it from being blown off by winds.
Well, there it is. I hope you enjoyed this article and got a few ideas.
Joyce Moore is an avid gardener and owner/operator of http://www.virtualseeds.com Stop by her site to view more gardening tutorials. |
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