Fall Crops

I know it seemed like forever for summer to finally get here, but it's already time to start thinking about planning for your fall crops.  This is, of course, true whether you are growing heirlooms or hybrids, but I'd still like to take the time to mention it here.  Sometimes heirloom people can get so caught up in history that we overlook the practical.  This topic was addressed awhile back in Suite 101's Beginning Organic Gardening section in the article Fall Vegetable Gardening and that would be a good place to get an overview of the topic.

Planting for the fall is a little trickier than starting seeds for the spring.  You'll be battling the heat and sometimes the day length.  But if you can find a partially shaded spot to start a small seedling nursery, you'll be ready to fill in the gaps left in your vegetable garden after harvest.

Some plants can be directly seeded in succession throughout the summer.  Bush beans, radishes, beets and even squash lend themselves to this.  Other plants, like salad greens and spinach, may have succumbed to the struggle and will need to be restarted, either directly seeded, once the weather cools a bit, or started in containers in a protected area and transplanted when they are about 2-3 inches tall.

Cole crops, which take a bit longer to mature, should be started in containers and transplanted also.  Many times cabbages, cauliflower and broccoli taste better when grown in the cooling temperatures of fall.

Fall gardening vegetables - a second harvest gives clear advice on when to start your seeds.  For more tips on what and when to plant, check out   Plant Your Fall Vegetable Garden Now!  And several Extension services have excellent fact sheets on growing a fall harvest.  Some good ones are:  Fall Vegetable Gardening, from the Cooperative Extension of the University of Nebraska, Fall Vegetable Gardening  from Virginia Cooperative Extension and Growing a Fall Vegetable Garden from the North Carolina State Extension Service.

For many of you, July and August may seem like time to sit back, relax and enjoy all the work you've already done in the garden, but if you can muster the energy to start a few more seeds, I'm sure you'll be glad you did.