In the Garden ~ Fall Planting

 

               Believe it or not it’s time to start thinking about your fall garden.  I know we are in the thick of summer and it seems like those 90 plus degree days will never end but fall will be here before you know it.  You won’t want to miss out on getting your garden fall ready.

 

               One of our favorite vegetables to plant for the fall is greens.  All the greens, to make big, beautiful, healthy salads.  Plus, we tend to plant hardy greens, that cook well, so that adds versatility to your garden and what you grow.  A few of our favorite greens to plant for the fall garden is spinach, arugula, kale and bok choy. A mix of varieties and flavors makes cooking more fun as well as treating your palette to a variety of flavors for the fall.

              

               Another favorite that could also be considered a green is cabbage.  While cabbage might take little longer to grow, 60-90 days until mature, it will withstand colder temperatures if your area gets an early cold snap.  There are choices to be made when growing cabbage as well.  Are you an all green type of grower or do you like to mix it up with purple cabbage?

 

Time to close up the head

               Broccoli is another great choice for a fall garden.  Broccoli really tends to thrive in cooler temperatures, such as 65-75 degrees but will get started while it’s still a little warmer. Maybe start those seeds inside where the climate is a bit cooler than outside and transfer when you have a strong seedling started.  A little tip I learned is to snip off the first heads as baby broccoli and that should yield to larger heads at the finish.

 

               Along with broccoli, cauliflower is another great fall vegetable to plant.  Now cauliflower tends to be a little more picky about the temperature in which it grows, so plant those a little later when you can be assured of cool temperatures for this temperamental plant.  Afterall, you do not want it to bolt before you produce heads. Once the heads start to grow, if you pull the leaves over top, the heads are protected from the sun and heat, and will grow to a beautiful white color.

 

               If you loved your peas in the spring, bring them back for the fall.  Fall peas taste just as yummy and crisp as those spring peas. Plus, who doesn’t love to just pluck them from the vine and enjoy while picking the rest of the vegetables.

 

               Carrots are another great option to plant in the fall.  Add these into the ground directly among your other plants and they will thrive in the fall.  After all carrots love tomatoes, so sprinkle in around your already growing tomatoes and see what comes up.

 

               A quick growing vegetable is the radish.  Succession plant these every two weeks to have fresh radish for your salad or as a garnish all throughout the fall.  By planting a new set every couple of weeks ensures you have new plants started when harvesting the first batch. 

 

               Beets are probably best known for being grown in the fall garden.  So many wonderful varieties are available for growers that you are bound to discover one you love.  They are even more versatile since you can eat the root and the tops, so nothing goes to waste when you grow beets in your fall garden.  These colorful root vegetables are a great addition to add in nutritious food choices to your daily diet. Beets are hardy after picking, if kept in a cool dry space.

 

               If you have never eaten celery grown fresh from the garden, you are missing out.  The taste is so much better than anything you can buy in the store.  Since celery can be used in so many different ways, you cannot go wrong with adding this to your fall garden.  While it does take a bit longer to mature 90 to 120 days, it will really start to produce when the temperatures drop. 

 

               While there are a myriad of choices and varieties to plant in your garden for the fall, do not let time slip away before you get started.  If you do not have a lot of space find out what goes well together and use the same pot for multiple plants.  Everyone can access fresh, grown produce with a little bit of effort. 

In the Garden ~ Planting for Fall

 

Schools back in session and time is short, and it might seem a little early to be thinking about a fall garden, with the temperature still in the 100’s or high 90’s but it’s better to start planning now.  As gardeners in Texas, we are blessed with a longer growing season that our counterparts in the Northern part of the States.  We can almost have a garden year-round, if we have a green house or means of covering our crop to ward off the frost.  We do not have to worry about frost for many more weeks, so let’s start to plan our fall garden and  what we want to grow.

 

We like to start some seeds inside and directly sow others for our fall growing season.  We will even try to plant some squash plants that should yield some fruit in the fall that are not traditionally planted at that time.  Of course, we will start crowd favorites such as butternut squash and spaghetti squash, as well as at least a plant or two of zucchini or yellow squash.  Hopefully we have taken care of those pesky squash bugs, and we have a better fall with our squash plants. 

 

In order to start our fall garden, we have to get it ready for planting.   I like to make sure our beds are clean and then add a fresh layer of compost for the best results.  Nothing saps the nutrients out of a garden like plants do.  The vegetables you planted before take a lot of the amendments from the soil that you placed in the spring, so it’s a good rule of thumb to add some good nutrition back into the soil for a better harvest.  Compost, ground eggshells, banana juice or coffee grounds are all good choices, depending on what you are looking to grow.  Clear your beds out and mix well, before planting.  I like to let my compost sit for a few days in the fall before planting with a couple of days of good watering to help develop the nutrition level of the soil. 

 

Water is still really important for your fall garden, especially since it’s still pretty hot out and the sun and soil temperature are sure to dry out your garden faster.  You can help prevent the loss of moisture by providing a layer of mulch around your plants.  That will help to retain moisture and grow your best produce. 

 

What should you plant this fall?  Fall is a great time to plant all your greens.  Especially Asian greens such as Bok Choy, Pac Choy, and Napa.  We also plant Kale, Spinach and Broccoli in the fall garden.  Arugula and Snow Peas are great additions as well, since they all like the cooler weather and will produce longer.  This year I think I’m going to give Carrots a try as well as Beets.  My family enjoys fresh grown Beets, and we have in the past planted a few different varieties that taste amazing.  Carrots in Texas I feel are a challenge but the reward is well worth the challenge. 

 

For herbs we will plant cilantro again, since it most definitely is a cool weather herb.  As well as Parsley.  Our Parsley that is still hanging on from the Spring is looking a little rough but I think if I can keep it going and add some friends, we could have a great harvest to dry and make new fresh herbs with. 

 

Do not let the summer heat keep you out of the garden.  Instead dive back in and clean out your beds and get them ready for the fall.  Nothing is better than cutting fresh greens for a salad or stir fry for lunch or dinner.  Plus, I’m really looking forward to filling my herb jars for cooking with fresh, dried herbs from our home garden.  Start your seeds early and enjoy a bountiful harvest in the fall.