08/08/2022
FALL VEGETABLE PLANTING
I promised a discussion on fall gardening, which technically begins in the summer, because it’s time to get started with some things. It’s a little later than I had hoped to post it, but I did not forget about it! If you have any questions please ask them in the comments. Feel free to add any advice you’d like.
The fall is the perfect opportunity to get a second chance at harvesting cool weather crops – such as peas, lettuces and greens, kohlrabi, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, carrots, cabbage. Most gardeners plant these crops in the spring, but they aren’t always successful There are several reasons – growing season of the plant is often longer than our cool season in the spring, so when we get those early heat waves it can affect the cool weather loving crops.
Many of these crops can be planted in the ground before the last frost date, but then again it’s tricky because we often still have freezes AND frost, and not all cool weather crops can tolerate those occasional freezing lows tossed in among many frosts.
Fall crops are started in the summer for a fall harvest, which presents several benefits: the soil and weather are already warm, which is ideal for sprouting seeds. While the plants enjoy growing in cool weather, they need warmer conditions to sprout and become established. They can finish maturing during a season of mild to cool temperatures, when they are happiest. Fall comes will less pest pressure. As an added bonus, some plants taste sweeter or overall ‘better’ after a light frost, too.
Any time of year can present weather related challenges, and fall gardening is no different. Heat waves can still be an issue, but they are generally handled easier by young plants vs. maturing ones. ‘Cool weather’ crops generally prefer weather under 80 degrees, but you could use shade cloth or water more frequently during hotter weather.
First things first: Figure out the average first frost date for your area. Write this down somewhere. Make a list of the vegetables you want to grow, then before you order seeds check the ‘days to maturity’ on the variety you chose. Be sure the days to maturity will fit in before your first expected frost. Keep in mind two things: The first frost date is just a guess, and the days to maturity of a particular variety are based on the best growing conditions. If your growing conditions aren’t the best, your days to maturity may be a little longer. And, you first frost may be a week or even a month later than expected. Another thing – most of your cool weather crops can survive and thrive light frosts, so these aren’t going to be much of a concern to you.
The nice thing about sowing seed in the summer is that you don’t need to do it indoors under lights. The weather is nice enough that most seed can be direct sown if you prefer, right into the ground. Or, you can start the seeds in seed trays, but you can keep them outdoors the whole time I do prefer to start seed in trays because I can better control their growing conditions and plant them once well established without pressure from weeds as they germinate.
You don’t start the seeds all at the same time. Just like starting seeds in the spring, there is a certain timeframe you want to plant the seeds in so they mature while the weather is cool instead of mature while weather is hot. Johnny ‘s Seed company has a wonderful calculator (https://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/calculator-planting-dates-fall-harvest-crops.html) to help plan your fall planting and I suggest using it for planting time frames – as always, make note of when you planted, weather conditions following the planting, and progress as the plant matures. Use this information to plan the following year, keeping in mind weather patterns change. You can adjust planting times based on past information for your specific area.
You still have time to plant another round of warm weather crops too – some quick-maturing varieties of summer squash and green beans can still be planted, though they will not tolerate a frost and their season will be over at that point. Be sure to harvest any fruit off any warm weather crop (with the exception of winter squash and pumpkins) before an expected frost, or they may all be damaged.
