From the Almanac: WHEN, HOW, AND WHY TO PLANT A FALL GARDEN

judsoncarroll4
judsoncarroll4 Posts: 5,490 admin
edited October 2020 in Vegetables

@RachelWrites , maybe this will give you some ideas:


PLANTING VEGETABLES FOR A FALL HARVEST


WHEN, HOW, AND WHY TO PLANT A FALL GARDEN

By Robin Sweetser

July 13, 2020

Summer is still at its peak, but the days are getting shorter and fall is on the way. Are you planning to continue your harvest into autumn this year? If so, now is the time to get planting. There are so many interesting vegetables that thrive when the weather cools!

Albert Camus said that autumn is a second spring because every leaf is a flower. For me, fall in the garden is a second spring because we are harvesting spring veggies again. 

WHY PLANT A GARDEN FOR FALL?

Full article:

https://www.almanac.com/news/gardening/gardening-advice/best-vegetables-plant-fall

Comments

  • judsoncarroll4
    judsoncarroll4 Posts: 5,490 admin

    Also, I just got this from Seeds Now:


    Having a thriving vegetable garden doesn't have to end when summer does. You can grow vegetables well into the winter months or even all-year-round if you live in a warmer climate like down south. 


    Vegetables you can plant in July and August will only become sweeter and more delicious if they go through a frost. When a frost comes into contact with a lot of these cool-season vegetables, they naturally react to the cold and produce extra sugars which can make some of the more bitter tasting vegetables taste rather sweet. 

    Prepare now to have the garden you've always wanted during Fall and Winter months!  With these crops, put the fear of your plants being damaged or destroyed aside. When winter weather rolls around, these vegetables will grow well & actually THRIVE in such weather conditions.Let's start off with a list of the most popular plants typically grown for a fall / winter harvest:

    Do any of the varieties above sound like something you would like?  


    If yes, then July and August are the two most important months for you to be starting these seeds. 


    It's just like how you started your tomato and pepper seeds indoors during the winter months and then transplanted outside when the weather started to warm up. Except now we are focusing on crops that are grown best in cooler weather but need to be cared for indoors while temps are too warm outside. 


    We start most of these varieties indoors using seed starting soil pods and then transplant outside when the weather begins to cool down a bit.


    *please note that we do not recommend that you start root crops (such as beets, carrots, radish, turnip, etc) in seed starting soil pods. It's best to start root crops directly in the ground as their root system does not like to be disturbed.

    Plant vegetables according to their specific instructions, which can be found in our Grow Guides.  


    Don't forget to download the 175-page Organic Gardening eBook *100% FREE*


    Planting a fall garden can be extremely rewarding. Especially, since most gardeners enjoy working out in the cooler weather while still being able to grow such a wide variety of crops. 


    If this is your first time growing a fall garden, the information below will help explain how and where to get started. 


    Congratulations on making the decision to grow more of your organic food, throughout more than just the spring and summer months!


    FEATURED 

    Fall/Winter Variety Pack Grow a Garden During the Colder Months Ahead!


    All-in-One Fall & Winter Season Variety Pack includes an assortment of the 15 most popular varieties. Seeds are all individually packaged. NOW ONLY $19.99. See what's inside!


    Here are just a few of our most popular articles and blog posts regarding Fall and Winter gardening:


    Planning a Fall/Winter Garden ... Step-by-Step - View

     

    Tips for Starting Your First Fall Garden - View

     

    Fall and Winter Gardening Made Easy - View

     

    TOP 10 YouTube Videos - View

     

    Quick Growing Cool Weather Crops - View

    Why is having a fall/winter garden so much better than one during spring/summer?

    1. COOLER WEATHER - You may find it more enjoyable to be out in the garden as the weather starts to cool off. 

    2. LESS PESTS - You will notice a significant decline in detrimental insects and disease during the fall. 

    3. SAVE TIME & MONEY NOT WATERING AS MUCH - You may find yourself saving time and money by not having to water as much as you did during the summer months!

    4. QUICK TO MATURE - Fall is a great time to plant leafy greens/lettuce and other vegetables that are quick to mature. Click here to shop all quick maturing crops >


  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    My efforts at fall gardening have been to put in seed late in the season that will sprout on its own when it is ready in the spring. Greens, mostly lettuce. I was going to try to do some cauli and broccoli this year but the weather has been so bad that I haven't bothered. Because it has been so wet, there are more slugs that usual, to take out new plants. Most things are not growing well. Maybe next year. I have thought about peas cause fall is cool enough for them but I would have to plant in July and the soil is too hot for peas by then (usually). We do put in second and sometimes third plantings of the stuff that grows quickly; greens, beets, etc. I am a bit out of the area where I can do many of the crops suggested, as winter comes early. Our late fall harvests usually consist of Brussel sprouts and parsnips that have taken all of our shorter season to grow.

    I encourage others to try, though. Especially, if a second wave of shortages is going to occur, it is likely to be then, later in the fall.

    Great information @judsoncarroll4. Lots of good tips and links.

  • seeker.nancy - Central Texas
    seeker.nancy - Central Texas Posts: 795 ✭✭✭✭

    I had been planning to do some Fall gardening but I confess I am now planing bigger. I read that if you plant your summer squash later there will be less of a chance for squash bugs and a lot of pests because their breeding/hatching etc. will be done. Not sure if that is so but I'm going to plant the zucchini in a large pot and possibly the winter squash as well, even though it will grow vines everywhere lol. I think we are always learning because our situations change, we've moved, the weather is more unpredictable, there are fewer pollinators, the list goes on. We never know it all lol.

  • mgray11
    mgray11 Posts: 83 ✭✭✭

    Thanks @judsoncarroll4 for all of the helpful info. My most recent (successful) garden was in southern Florida which has a drastically different climate than where I'm living now. So I'm giving it at least one more try.

  • dianne.misspooz
    dianne.misspooz Posts: 105 ✭✭✭

    This post is definitely a keeper! I have to re-do my whole raised garden because where I placed all my raised metal bins did not maximize my garden space. So, I had planned in Aug to let my crops die out and then redesign the placement of my raised beds. Its going to be a lot of work because I have to try to kill off these weeds that never die before I do. Once the bins are in their new locations, I then have to refill with organic matter... not sure I have enough time for the matter to decompose in enough time to get a fall garden in. It's possible I guess since I live in zone 8-9. We shall see!

    Thanks for posting this valuable information!

    Dianne

  • Lisa K
    Lisa K Posts: 1,935 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Living in So Calif I have the luxury of planting all-year long so every year I plant a Fall garden, plus a lot of the greens that I love do better in Fall.

  • COWLOVINGIRL
    COWLOVINGIRL Posts: 954 ✭✭✭✭

    this is going to be my first year putting in a fall garden!

  • John
    John Posts: 163 ✭✭✭

    Super! I was just thinking about this today as we are supposed to have a longer stretch of warmer weather in my neck of the woods. Found everything i was looking for here. :)

  • John
    John Posts: 163 ✭✭✭

    Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also was thinking about this today-now I have some ideas and direction. Thanks everyone. :)